The Lost Princess
by starlily11
Summary: Picks up where 'The Darkest Secret' left off. It has been nearly a year since Serena separated herself from Katherine and erased herself from everyone's minds. Only the angels know what happened, and Serena is little more than a specter.
1. Prologue: You're Not Alone

**The Lost Princess**

**Prologue: "You're Not Alone."**

It was sometime around midnight, and the nocturnal creatures scurried about the forest doing their nightly chores and generally living their lives. The forest was pitch black, but no one living in it was frightened, as they were used to it. All was quiet, save for the sounds the creatures made as they tended their young and whispered to one another. The only bright thing tonight was a lone, petite figure that sat by the lake. It was a new moon, so not even the soft, gentle rays of the moonlight could keep her company. The figure was that of a young woman, formed by mist and spare bits of light, but little else. Her white gown was spotless and undamaged, despite the fact that she had been wandering these woods for nearly a year.

The young woman sobbed tearlessly, and looked up in pain at the dark, un-illumined sky. On her forehead gleamed a golden crescent moon, identifying her as Princess Serenity of the White Moon. To some, she was simply Serena, and to others as Sailor Moon. Still another certain someone referred to her as 'Odango', which had been a pet name. But no one knew her anymore. No one remembered her. She was alone, and that was the reason for her tears. The moon was her only companion now. Even then, she could not feel the soft, comforting rays of her deity. Not now. She had little substance to her form. She did not even disturb the air when she moved. For she was a specter, or, to those who were not familiar with that word, a ghost.

As such, she could not feel, taste, or smell. Warmth and cold were nothing to her, for she could not feel such things any longer. She could not smell the scents of the woods, nor could she taste anything. The only senses left to her were sight and sound. That meant little; for she could not be seen or heard by anyone but those who were trained to see and hear such things. Those she had known and loved no longer remembered her. She had erased their memories long ago in an effort to protect them from her efforts to save the world. Her plan had succeeded, but she was still alone.

"Oh, Seiya…" she whispered. "I miss you so much."

Seiya was the man she had been in love with before she'd inflicted this exile and isolation on herself. And he'd loved her in return. But he'd nearly died protecting her, and that was something she feared. Above all else, she'd feared losing him. That was why she'd erased his memories of her and left the place she'd lived in for most of her life. But that did not erase her memories of him. She could still remember the way his long, thick ebony hair flowed down to his waist, and the way his beautiful blue eyes sparkled when he laughed. But what she missed most was the way he held her. When she was in his arms, she felt like nothing could harm her…she felt safe. Serena shook her head. It hurt her too much to think of such things. What was the point? She could never return until Katherine left Hell and came back with the Silver Crystal. That hadn't happened, and it had nearly been a year.

The girl stood, and wandered across the lake. As she lacked substance and real form, she could do so without sinking. Her eyes were still shining with unshed tears as she recalled the day she'd said goodbye to the man she loved. She had kissed him once, and pushed all of the love she felt for him into the kiss. She knew it had confused him and possibly frightened him, but she also knew that he'd gotten the message. She had done her best to make her silent goodbye as painless and gentle for him as possible. And she'd shattered her own heart in the process.

Serena continued to walk, lost in her thoughts. She hadn't been able to do much _besides_ think. And wander. She had been wandering ever since that night nearly a year ago, when Hell had been sealed away for good. In an effort to save Katherine, who had been sharing her body at the time, she'd broken off a tiny piece of the Silver Crystal for herself and given the rest to Katherine in hopes that she would be able to escape her dark destiny with the help of its power. The small piece she still had was the only thing that kept her from sinking into oblivion. If only she could see her friends again…but what was the point besides torturing herself? The girl placed both hands over her heart in an effort to ease the pain there. It failed.

"I guess I'll just have to learn to be lonely," she murmured.

"Don't give up," a soft voice told her from the shadows. "You're not alone."

The blonde turned and walked back to shore to see who had spoken. It was Arriane. "How'd you find me?"

"I've been looking for you ever since the seal on Hell was restored. You've led me on a devil of a dance trying to find you."

"I didn't want to be found."

"So hopeless! That isn't the girl I used to know."

"I've had a lot of time to think and reflect. My situation seems hopeless."

"Katherine will return." Arriane was certain of this. "She will. Just hang in there."

"So you know what happened?"

"I may be one of the Fallen, but I'm still an angel. We know everything that goes down here on Earth. Yours and Katherine's story is well-known. Don't give up now."

"How are…" Serena had to ask. At first, she couldn't get the words out. "How is everyone?"

"Your memory wipe was pretty damn strong, but it's weakening. They're getting flashes of how things really happened instead of what you have them believing happened."

"Oh. Is Seiya…i-is he…" Serena knew she had no right to ask this question, but she had to know.

"He's still single. You may have messed with his memories, but he knows that his heart already belongs to someone. He can't recall who, of course, but he knows she's out there somewhere. He still loves you."

"But he doesn't remember me," Serena laughed bitterly. "I swear, I think I made a huge mistake with that move. He'll hate me later."

"You did what you thought was right. That's all you have ever done. He'll eventually understand that."

Serena was quiet.

"Listen to me, Serena. You're not alone. While humanity doesn't remember you, we angels do. You saved the world and kept everyone living here from eternal damnation. You don't need to do this self-imposed exile routine. I can help you. Come home, please." Arriane stretched out a hand, and in that gesture, Serena saw an escape from the loneliness and despair she'd been fighting. If she could find the strength to accept…

"It will be painful, seeing the people I love and seeing what I did every day."

"But their memories are returning. Come with me."

The blonde took a deep, unnecessary breath, and finally took the hand that was offered to her. She could not feel the warmth or the grip, but she knew she wouldn't have to be alone any longer. For the first time in a long time, she felt a spark of the hope that she had once had. Arriane led her back to the city in which she had once dwelled, and Serena dared to wonder if it was possible that her time of solitude was about to end.


	2. Part One: Shrouded Memories

**The Lost Princess**

**Part One: Shrouded Memories**

**AN: **This story will plod on for a few chapters, but bear with me. It'll get better.

Seiya woke up with a start at 3 p.m. For the third night in a row. He'd been having strange dreams of and on for almost a year, but this was the first time they'd happened repeatedly every night. It was the same thing each time; he was desperately searching for someone dear to him. That someone was in danger. Every time, he was running through mist, calling for someone whose name escaped him when he awoke. The dreams weren't necessarily frightening, but they were intense. The dream always ended in the exact same way; he was getting close to whoever he was trying to rescue, but all he saw of her was long, gleaming golden hair, and a flash of tear-filled cerulean eyes before everything dissolved into flames. That was when he woke up.

The raven-haired boy rubbed his eyes and tried to clear his head. These dreams were getting more and more common at night. What was causing them? Who was he searching for so desperately? Why did he have this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right with his life? His comrades were still with him, and no one he knew was dead or missing, but something just felt wrong. He'd been feeling like something important to him was missing, but could not for the life of him fathom what it was. He hadn't told Taiki or Yaten; they would just worry and wonder if he'd finally gone round the bend. Seiya looked around his room, and noticed something strange. There were pictures of him with his friends, but there was always an empty space somewhere, like someone else should have been there. The background was there, but it was like someone else should have been in the picture. He'd never noticed that before.

Then, he had a vague image of sparkling cerulean eyes, just like the ones in his dream, and, as if in a dream, heard a girl's voice murmur, "I love you, Seiya." It sounded achingly familiar, but he didn't understand why. It felt like a buried memory, but no matter how hard he tried, Seiya could not recall it to his mind. Could it be that some unknown part of his mind was trying to tell him something? Why couldn't he remember? It was extremely frustrating. The dark-haired boy lay down and tried to get back to sleep. But alas, he could not. He couldn't stop thinking about the dreams. Why was he dreaming of the same thing over and over? It was puzzling, and troubled him. He didn't sleep a wink for the rest of the night.

**¥†Ѣ§†Ѣ§†Ѣ§†Ѣ§†¥**

Seiya groaned as the alarm clock went off the next morning. He was so tired…he hadn't slept at all last night since that annoying dream had shaken him up. He stayed in bed, hoping that perhaps Taiki might take pity on him and find an excuse to keep him out of school. That hope was dashed when the chestnut-haired genius in question was heard to say, "Come on, Seiya. It's time to get up." Seiya moaned and pulled the covers over his head. He heard Taiki sigh. That wasn't good; it usually meant that Yaten would come in and very roughly toss Seiya out of the bed. Did he really want to go through that today?

"Go'way, Taiki," Seiya mumbled. "Tired…"

"I'm tired, too, Seiya. All of us are. But I'm up, and so is Yaten. So you have to get out of bed and suck it up like the rest of us."

"Mean!"

"If I wanted to be mean, I would have sicced Yaten on you earlier. Shall I go get him?"

"No!" Seiya leapt out of bed, if only because he didn't want Yaten to come in and dump him out of it.

Taiki looked at him. "The dream again?"

"Yeah…that's the third night in a row."

"It's gotten worse?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Sounds like your subconscious wants to tell you something."

"That's what I'm thinking. But I don't understand the message."

"Well, considering what you described your dream as, it sounds like you may have forgotten something incredibly important."

"That isn't all, though. I noticed something weird about some pictures in my room. You know how we always try to keep them centered?"

"Yes…?"

"Well, they look lopsided, like someone else was in the picture, but got wiped out of it."

"Hmm…let me see."

Seiya showed him the pictures, and Taiki immediately noticed what Seiya was talking about. It was so strange…why hadn't they noticed it before?

"You say you just noticed this?"

"Yeah. After I woke up from the dream."

"Did anything else happen?"

"You'll think I've completely lost my mind if I tell you." Seiya wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Taiki about the weird, dreamlike flash he'd experienced. He wasn't even sure if it was a memory. It could be a hallucination.

"What is it?"

"Do you remember what I told you, about how all I could see was her hair and eye color? Well, I had this…flash, where I saw her eyes, and I think I heard her speak. I thought it was a memory, but I'm not sure anymore. It's so weird…"

Taiki's face held a look of shock. "That's strange…because Amy had the same sort of thing happen to her a couple days ago."

"So you don't think I'm losing it?"

"No…it's just too coincidental. Besides that, I've experienced the same thing. Now be honest with me, Seiya. Have you ever felt like something was off? Like something huge was missing from your life?"

"Yeah…"

"That settles it. Something weird is going on, and somehow, I have a feeling it isn't just the three of us. It isn't just a strange little coincidence. Our minds are trying to tell us something."

"Do you think some force could be messing with our heads?"

"It's possible. Or maybe someone messed with our memories, and those memories are starting to resurface."

**¥†Ѣ§†Ѣ§†Ѣ§†Ѣ§†¥**

Rae knelt before the Great Fire, searching for answers. She'd been having strange flashes for three months now. All of them were centered around someone with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Over time, she'd begun to be able to identify facial features, but still couldn't make out the person's face. All she knew was what she felt. Sometimes, she felt annoyed and affectionately exasperated. Other times, she felt just affectionate and teasing. Whoever was in these flashes, it was someone she knew. But why didn't she remember them? She'd been asking the fire, but all she could see in the flames were convoluted images that didn't make sense, and apparently were connected with the Moon Kingdom. Could it be…?

They'd never found Princess Serenity. Could it be that the Princess of the White Moon was about to appear? Was she trying to send them a message and tell them of her whereabouts? If so, then she needed to pay close attention. Those flashes could be shrouded memories meant to point her to where the Moon Princess was. Rae decided to tell Trista the next time she saw her. Of course, that was probably a waste of time. Chances were, Trista already knew. It was hard to guess what the time soldier knew. Probably everything. She always seemed to know when someone was in trouble. Maybe she could help make sense of the images and they could get to the bottom of this.


	3. Part Two: Discussions

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Two: Discussions**

**Serena: **Oh, great…so I'm a ghost now?

**Starlily11: **Deal with it…I'm the author here, not you.

**Serena: **You're just crabby because you didn't get enough cookies today…

**Starlily11: **Quiet, please.

That afternoon, as soon as school was over, Rae went to the Outers' house. It was time to see exactly what was going on. Everyone had been having flashes of a girl with long blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. At least, the Inners and the boys had, anyway. Even if the Outers weren't getting weird flashes, it had happened too many times and to too many connected parties to be considered a mere coincidence. It was too strange to be considered even remotely coincidental, actually. She just hoped that Trista would be able to give her even a miniscule amount of helpful information. Praying that she would get some answers, Rae knocked on the door.

She was in luck; Trista opened the door. It would have been incredibly awkward to explain the reason behind her visit to anyone but the time soldier. Even though they had all seen weird things, you could still receive odd looks if you talked about seeing things that made no sense whatsoever. Unless, of course, you spoke to Trista. The time soldier had quite possibly had the most experience with the weird, strange, and unfathomably confusing parts of being a Sailor Scout.

"Um, Trista, do you have a minute?" Rae asked.

"Certainly." Trista let the hot-headed priestess in, knowing perfectly well exactly what this was all about. In a few minutes, both were sitting down and sipping a cup of tea. Once the younger girl was settled, Trista broached the topic. "Now that you're settled, I believe you have a few questions concerning our missing Princess, and the odd visions some of our number have been experiencing. Am I correct?"

Rae nodded in relief. So Trista knew about the strange events…oh, right…of course she did. You couldn't really pull anything over the soldier of revolution. So that surely meant that she knew what it all meant. "So you know about the strange flashes Amy's been having, and the recurring dream that Seiya has?"

"Yes; among other events. Hotaru has told me that she feels that much of what we believe has happened is in fact a fabrication, and that she senses danger is coming."

"Wait…what we _believe_ has happened?"

"Yes. And I must say that there is some merit to this belief. I have been watching the Time Gate, and have noticed some anomalies, and things that don't quite fit. It appears that our perception of events has been tampered with, but the Time Gate will not reveal the cause."

"Seriously? Do you know when it started?"

"I did manage to wrangle one small piece of information from Cronos. Whatever caused this was apparently last on the radar almost a year ago. The power responsible has not been seen since."

"Almost a year ago…that was when all those monsters suddenly appeared and then disappeared!"

"Yes. Apparently, another dimension bled into ours and almost brought about the apocalypse. Strangely enough, the same power that caused such a thing was also what saved us."

"We wouldn't have lasted the night if those winged people hadn't shown up and helped us."

"That is possible. So you say that the strange occurrences have increased?"

"Yeah…Seiya's had the same dream three nights in a row now, and I just have this feeling that something isn't right. You mentioned Hotaru sensed danger; does she know what it is?"

Trista became visibly worried, and shifted slightly. "That is the most disturbing part, you see; we have reason to believe that Chaos has returned."

†**ѢѢ¥****Ѣ¥****Ѣ¥****†**

"_**WHAT?**_" Serena shrieked. "_**CHAOS IS **__**BACK**__**?**_"

"Unfortunately, yes," Arriane answered in a consoling tone. "I needed to inform you, as you are the one who defeated it last time. I also want to help you to do something about it."

"Um, Arriane…aren't you forgetting something? I'm a spirit, nothing more. I can't even turn the page of a book. How am I supposed to defeat Chaos when I can't even be seen or heard, much less fight?"

"There are ways to make yourself heard, and you can cause things to happen. Hollywood has one thing right about haunted houses; ghosts can make things happen if they are taught correctly."

"So I could do something?" Serena was listening.

"Of course. I'll teach you."

"Fallen angels know how to do ghost stuff?"'

"It's part of our quest to attain redemption. We help trapped ghosts take care of unfinished business, and then help them move on."

"Oh…so I don't have to spend any more time just floating around wishing for an end to the monotony that is currently my life? I might actually be able to watch TV or something?"

"Among other things. You could also push someone out of harm's way, or keep them from falling off a skyscraper or a bridge. If you worked really hard, you might be able to reveal yourself and be heard without having to rely on some faulty EVP recorder or thermal camera."

"I could really do that?"

"Certainly."

"I'm in."

"Well, then! Let's get down to business."

†**ѢѢ¥****Ѣ¥****Ѣ¥****†**

"What?" Rae was alarmed. "Chaos is back? We only defeated it two years ago! Speaking of which, I'm still not exactly sure how that happened…oh, right…I remember. The Light of Hope was awakened when only the Starlights were left, and it sealed Chaos away. What happened? How was it released again?"

"I don't know."

The priestess almost fainted. This was bad…this was _worse_ than bad! It was a flipping catastrophe! Chaos was on its way back, they weren't sure how to defeat it this time, and Trista didn't know something! This was turning into a terrible day. "So it's hopeless?" she asked worriedly.

"No. I have a hunch that if we find Princess Serenity, it'll be all right. The Silver Crystal has a great deal of power; and as the heir to the Silver Crystal, our Princess can certainly help us to defeat it."

"That's great; but where do we find her?"

"She has yet to be awakened; but I have a feeling she will do so soon. We'll just have to do what we can until that time comes."

Rae sighed. "We're screwed," she mumbled.

"Have a little faith; we'll find her."

Rae nodded, and promptly resolved to try harder to sort out the clues she saw in the flames. There had to be a hint somewhere!


	4. Part Three: Katherine's Inferno

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Three: Katherine's Inferno**

**AN: **This might be the last chapter I write for a few weeks; I have a camp coming up that'll go from early morning to late evening. Wish me and my sanity luck.

The stench was unbearable. How on Earth could the eternally damned souls down here breathe in such stench and not die _again_? Then there was the ungodly heat. It was hotter than blazes. Katherine would have said it was hotter than the hinges of Hell, but that was pointless, considering that she was currently at Hell's heart, in Pandemonium, Lucifer's city. She'd never been to the hinges of the place, so she wouldn't know how hot it was there. The blonde girl wiped her brow and, for the billionth time since she'd first entered Hell, asked herself why she hadn't just spread her wings and flown out. Oh, right…she would die if she tried that.

Katherine looked down at the large piece of the Silver Crystal that she currently held in her hand. It was glowing faintly, signaling that she was a step closer to getting out of here. But how much closer? She'd been stuck down here for months, living off of what people tossed in dumpsters. Yes, they had dumpsters in Pandemonium. Therefore, it was possible to dumpster dive. The Nephilim grimaced. She'd been fighting her way through this place for ages, always on the move and trying to avoid having her father find out where she was. And for all her efforts, she was still a long way away from home. When she got to the exit, the Silver Crystal would be shining bright as a beacon. But unfortunately, other than an indication of how close she was, it did little to help.

Silently, she crept past a few sinister-looking guards. If she was caught….the girl shuddered. 'Oh, man, why couldn't Serena have sent me down here with a map, too?' she thought. 'Well, I guess I get why…it's not like the Moon Kingdom ever had a reason to _want_ to make a map of Hell!' She made it past the guards, and thanked her lucky stars once again that this large piece of the Silver Crystal was with her. She was prepared to swear that the broken jewel was behind her good fortune. Serena's plan had been a mad one, but it was successful so far. She wondered how the Moon Princess was doing. She was probably ready to wring her neck by now.

Not that Katherine could really blame her. It would suck to be a specter, unable to do anything but watch and listen. It was even worse knowing that no one really remembered the girl. That memory block wasn't supposed to end until the pieces of the Crystal were reunited. Katherine felt a pang for Serena. She was in Hell, but in a way, Serena was, too. She was alone in the world, and couldn't do anything to help someone who was in trouble. All she could do was watch…and wait for the inevitable. But Katherine could do something…she could quit whining about the heat and the smell and keep moving. Once she found the exit, she would haul ass out of here and find Serena. Then, hopefully, the trouble would be over, and no one would be the wiser about the insanity that had been going on. She and Serena would find a way to explain how they had missed out on a year of time with Serena later. If it ever came up.

"You there!" It was a guard, and he sounded close.

"Crap!" Katherine squeaked. She kept moving, trying not to look suspicious. Maybe that shout was directed at someone else.

"You, girl! Stop!" Yeah, he was talking to her. For the first time, Katherine was genuinely terrified. She'd been moderately scared before, but not terrified.

The girl turned and faced the guard. Clad in the black and red armor of Lucifer's guardsmen, he wasn't a pleasant sight. Then again, it was Hell. Hell itself wasn't a pleasant sight. Actually, there was nothing pleasant about it. The guard's face was scarred and majorly in need of reconstructive surgery. It was a grotesque sight. His face only grew more hideous as he glared at her. Katherine continued to back up, searching for a way out of this. She couldn't afford to be impulsive. That could get her killed here. The guard advanced.

Katherine caught sight of a nearby cage of what looked like Hell's version of chickens, and she kicked it over, setting the creatures loose. It was time to get out of here. She took off running, and did her best to stay out of sight and remain unnoticed in the panic that she herself had caused. The girl ended up slamming directly into someone, and fell over. Mentally, she cursed in all the languages she knew as a Nephilim when she saw who she'd slammed into. It was none other than the ruler of this place himself; Lucifer. The fallen angel she had the misfortune of sharing DNA with. Of all the rotten luck…

Lucifer smiled as he saw her. "Well, what have we here? The prodigal has returned."

"God's knickers!" Katherine muttered. More audibly, she replied. "Oh, I'm just passing through. I was just leaving." Quietly, she stowed the Crystal away. Lucifer mercifully didn't notice.

In one fast, blurry movement, Lucifer had pinned her arms behind her back, and with the other hand held a sword to her throat. Katherine struggled, but found that she couldn't escape. Her sire's grip was like an iron vise. "Oh, no, my dear. You're not going anywhere," he hissed.

"Fuck you," she hissed back.

In the next moment, one whole side of her face was stinging from the slap bestowed on her.

"You would do well to show me some respect, girl! You're in _my_ territory now. My word is law here, and you are now at _my _mercy."

It certainly wouldn't hurt to pray. "Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed thou art among women…" Lucifer clapped a hand over the girl's mouth.

"_**Enough**_," he snarled, and turned to another guard. The next minute, a handkerchief soaked in a vile-smelling substance was pressed against her face.

'Hell's version of chloroform…' was her last thought before she passed out.

**Ѣ****†****¥Ѣ****†****¥Ѣ****†****¥Ѣ****†****¥Ѣ****†****¥Ѣ**

Katherine awoke to a pounding headache, and no small amount of nausea. It was still incredibly hot, and she felt parched. She was lying on dirt floor, and she felt something chafe against her ankles. She looked around groggily. In horror, the girl realized she was in a cell. And she was naked. In alarm, she looked around for the Crystal. If they'd taken that…no. She could feel its power beside her. The Nephilim smiled as she saw that it had disguised itself as a rock. But that wouldn't work for long…she had to hide it! The blonde searched for a hiding place. There was none. What could she do? She grimaced as she realized what was necessary.

Sighing, she picked the disguised jewel up, prayed Serena would understand and they'd find a way to fix it once she got free, and braced herself. She raised it to her mouth, and swallowed the jewel. 'God, I'm gonna be backed up for months! I'll just have to try not to take a shit for as long as possible.' Katherine grimaced again at the thought of having to explain the mess to Serena. Well, surely she'd understand, considering her current situation…

"Well, look who's awake," a sneering voice said from off to the side.

Katherine aimed an icy glare in the direction of the speaker. It was another damn guard! The guard backed up as she stared at him, still glaring for all she was worth. Another guard spoke up.

"Careful, Samael. She's the boss's daughter. She's powerful…she'll kick your ass given the chance if you piss her off. If she's anything like her dad, she's got a temper as bad as his."

"Lighten up, Beelzebub. She's chained, for crying out loud!"

"The implications in your tone were almost treasonous. No one is allowed to touch her. The boss insisted on cutting her into shape himself. That means you and I stay out of the way and keep our mouths shut."

"But she's hot, and I haven't touched a woman in forever."

"Hands off. The boss'll flatten you if you so much as breathe on her."

Thank God for that. Katherine wasn't planning to stick around and see what her father had in store for her. It wasn't anything good; that much she knew. The sound of a door banging against the wall caused all of them to jump. When the two guards saw who it was, they began bowing and scraping like there was no tomorrow. Katherine cursed her rotten luck under her breath, using words that, had her mother heard her, would have earned her a soap bar in the mouth for the better part of a year. Lucifer only smiled in amusement as he caught snippets of what she was saying.

"What colorful language!"

Katherine ceased her swearing, and glared sullenly at him, trying to hide the sudden waves of fear that rushed over her, for in her father's hand was a deadly looking whip. That could only mean one thing. Lucifer entered, and Katherine moved away, still glaring. Lucifer's eyes hardened, and he turned to the guard called Beelzebub.

"Turn her around and keep her that way," he barked.

In an instant, Katherine was facing the wall, and her bare back was exposed to the asshole who had sired her. She was pinned down by Beelzebub. She braced herself, and the first lash came. Pain seared through her back, and tears sprang to her eyes. She could feel the blood pouring from the wound.

"You've been a _very bad_ girl!" Another hit. Katherine grimaced, but refused to make a sound. Again. She still didn't give in. She couldn't give in…Serena was counting on her. Another lash, and another. Katherine was forced to the ground, and still she was assailed by the whip. She could feel the blood just running down her back. Even so, her only response was silence and increased perspiration. She lay there, trying to think of a way out. Eventually, the whip stopped, and her father whispered in her ear.

"Give in, child. This will stop, if you would only swear loyalty to me for all eternity."

"Never."

And so it began again.


	5. Part Four: Frustration

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Four: Frustration**

**AN: **I'm back, everyone! Sorry I took forever to update; the camp I was attending lasted for ten days and required me to get up at six in the morning and stay up until, like, eleven at night. But now I'm back.

**Kinmoku, Kakyuu-hime's Chambers**

Kakyuu felt it when Chaos got loose. If she had been less patient and gentle, she would have slammed her fist into the wall and cursed like a drunken Sailor Scout. However, it was not in her nature to do so. Therefore, she did not behave in such a manner. Rather, her calm, serene face suddenly became distressed, and she turned her eyes to the stars. Mercifully, it was apparent that her Starlights, whom she had released from her service, were currently unharmed. Still, they had to be warned. And so did Serenity-hime. The Moon Princess had stopped Chaos once; she could do it again. Wait…the Fireball Princess paused when she saw the state of that bright light. What she saw chilled her to the bone, and she felt faint.

The once bright and warm shine was now so dim that it could barely be seen. In fact, to the untrained eye, it would look dead and lifeless. What had happened? Kakyuu paced anxiously, trying to collect herself. It would not do to panic. That would only make the situation worse. She needed to investigate this, and handle this awful situation with a cool head. Panic did nothing in a crisis like this. She had to get to Earth and warn them. Knowing Chaos, it would go after the Moon Princess before it did anything else. Therefore, she would need to move quickly.

The Fireball Princess collected herself, and managed to calm down. Then, she explained the situation to those it would concern, packed what she would need, and sped towards Earth. She could only pray that she wouldn't be too late. If the Moon Princess died, the whole universe was doomed. Yes, haste was necessary.

**Rae's Temple, Earth**

"Oh, _shit_!" That was all Seiya could think to say as he processed the fact that Chaos was back. They had only barely defeated Chaos last time; and to this day, he still wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. A bright light had appeared out of nowhere and driven that horrid darkness back, as well as restored their Princess and planet to them. Somehow, they'd ended up returned to Earth, and Taiki and Yaten had decided to stay with the ones they loved. Seiya felt like he was missing something, but could not fathom what. He wasn't sure why he was on Earth as well. Shrouded memories whispered to him, but he could make no sense of them. The raven-haired man looked around. Everyone had varying degrees of horror and no small amount of fear growing on their faces.

"We're screwed," Yaten mumbled. "Royally screwed."

"Shut up, Yaten," Taiki murmured absent-mindedly.

Everyone was having flashbacks of that dreadful time, memories of the death and destruction that had occurred, but none could recall exactly how Chaos had been stopped. Images of cerulean eyes went through their minds, but nothing else. If only the Sol Senshi could recall the whereabouts of their Princess! Amara looked at Trista hopefully, but the time soldier shook her head sadly. The Time Gate had been tampered with, and she could make no sense of the confusing images either. What were they to do?

"Maybe we could lure Chaos to a dead, lifeless asteroid and drop a nuke on it," Mina suggested.

"A thousand nuclear bombs couldn't stop Chaos," Seiya replied grimly. "We'd just end up killing ourselves in the process. Only a pure, strong light can save us, like the one that shone last time."

"We're all gonna die," Mina muttered.

"Perhaps not. I sense that our Princess is somewhere close. But something is keeping her hidden." Hotaru said softly. "If we can find her, she can help."

"But any memories of her or what happened to her are sealed!" Jupiter fretted. "I have this feeling that we all know where she is, but something isn't letting us remember!"

"We all feel that way," Amy stated. "Or perhaps there is something else going on that we are unaware of. There's more to this than simply a few blocked memories."

"She is right," Trista remarked. "Over the past few months, I've detected some differences between our memories and what the Time Gate shows. Our memories have been tampered with. We fought our battles, but they happened in a different way than what we believe. There was someone else with us who had the power to defeat Chaos. I know not who, but they were there."

"Why don't we remember?" Michelle asked.

"I honestly don't know."

"So we're still stuck on square one," Rae sighed.

"For the time being."

**Earth, Arriane's Apartment**

"Concentrate, Serena," Arriane told the blonde for the hundredth time. The Fallen was teaching Serena how to make herself seen and heard. The blonde girl was failing miserably. Concentration wasn't exactly something she was good at doing. Even so, she was trying. She needed to be able to do something to help her friends. She was just a ghost, but the least she could do was yell 'Watch out!' if someone was in danger of getting hit by a blast. She wouldn't be able to do that if she didn't learn this. Still, it was _so hard_! Serena sighed as she felt her concentration break again.

"You nearly had it that time. You were blurry, but a normal mortal would be able to see you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Trust me, you're not doing half as bad as you think. Most ghosts take years to even make a blurry appearance. You've been at this for a week and managed that."

"You aren't just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No. I mean it. You're doing great. Just keep at it. You'll get there."

Serena turned once again to her task. 'This can keep Seiya safe,' she thought to herself. That thought strengthened her resolve. She tried so hard to concentrate that she knew she'd be perspiring if not for the fact that she was made up of little more than mist and light. She felt something open up inside her, felt a slight tingle. She knew she was doing it, judging from the smile on Arriane's face. But it was exhausting to keep it up…she lost her grip and concentration, and sighed.

"You had it. Why on Earth did you let it go?"

"It wears me out."

"The more you do it, the easier it gets. You'll get used to it, and you'll get stronger."

Serena sighed, but she obeyed. This time, she held it for about ten seconds before she couldn't do it anymore. She sank down on the couch, exhausted. Nothing Arriane said or did could make her get up this time. She'd reached her limit. The blonde let her mind wander, and thought about Seiya. She let out a tearless sob as she thought of the day she'd told him goodbye. He would hate her once his memories came back and he put the pieces together. They all would. They'd forgiven her time and time again, but even those who loved her best wouldn't be able to overlook this particular betrayal.

That one tearless sob spawned more, and soon that was all she could do. Arriane watched sadly, wishing that there was something she could do. She was aware of what her charge was feeling, and was sympathetic. If only she could do more than just teach her how to be seen and heard…if only she knew how this would end…if only…

**Hell, Somewhere in the Dungeons**

Katherine lay on a filthy floor, aching and exhausted. Her wounds had healed quickly, but her sire returned every day and inflicted more pain. She closed her eyes as she heard the door opened. It was going to happen again. And Serena had probably faded into oblivion by now. No! She couldn't think like that! The Nephilim hauled herself to her feet and tried to look defiant. Inside her, the Silver Crystal burned brightly, giving her a small measure of comfort. She would get out of this. She had to.

"Will you not submit?" Lucifer asked with a smirk.  
>Katherine heatedly made a suggestion that was so rude that both Beelzebub and Samael gasped, and looked nervously at their master. Lucifer only looked amused.<p>

"You have my temper, that much is clear. And you are almost as stubborn. But I _will_ break you."

And so it began. The whole time, Katherine worked to create a plan to escape.

**Earth, Rae's Temple**

Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten all stared at their Princess in undisguised confusion. What was she doing here? And why was she under the impression that they knew where Serenity was? The others were just as confused. What was Kakyuu-hime on about? The three Starlights knew that the Princess they had served for so long was not crazy, nor was she a liar. Therefore, she had to be telling the truth. But what she was saying made no sense whatsoever. Seiya felt a stab of anxiety as Kakyuu hinted that Serenity was in danger, but he didn't understand why.

Kakyuu resisted the urge to scream and stamp her feet. How in the name of the sun, moon, and stars had things gotten so incredibly messed up? Not only had Seiya apparently forgotten Sailor Moon, so had everyone else! Furthermore, they were all under the impression that a random bright light had just zapped Chaos away, and that Serenity-hime had not yet been awakened. The Fireball Princess forced herself not to sigh, and tried to puzzle out exactly what had happened. This was all extremely frustrating, and she knew Yaten could feel her frustration. She tried to calm herself. Losing her temper would get her nowhere.

Finally, she managed to collect her wits again. She turned to Seiya, who was clearly incredibly confused. She looked into his eyes. She could see that he had realized something was wrong here, but he honestly didn't remember that he'd spent months on Kinmoku longing for the Moon Princess. After looking more closely, the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. She could see the power of the Silver Crystal shining inside their minds now. Serenity herself had messed with everyone's memories. But she certainly couldn't tell them that. The Moon Princess had her reasons, surely…but where was she? The Fireball Princess just barely managed to keep herself from fainting. Even so, she steadied herself against the wall and looked so pale that Taiki asked worriedly, "Princess, are you all right?"

"I am quite all right," she replied sweetly. On the inside, she was a wreck. Serenity had apparently vanished, Chaos was on the loose, and no one even remembered that she had, in fact, stopped Chaos. And she couldn't do a thing. 'Serenity-hime, where are you? What's happened?' she thought. 'Why did you erase all memories of your existence from everyone's minds?" Kakyuu understood how she'd escaped that. The power of the Silver Crystal was great, but it could not erase everyone's memories all across the galaxy. Not if its mistress was still living, which she was. But what had caused this?


	6. Part Five: Remember

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Five: Remember…**

**Starlily11: **This is mostly going to be a series of dream sequences and flashbacks in people's minds. Just to let you know that Serena's family didn't just fall off the face of the planet.

Seiya lay awake that night, trying to make sense of everything, desperately trying to remember what he'd forgotten. There was a pain in his heart that wasn't going away; it had begun ever since Kakyuu-hime had confirmed that someone was indeed missing. There was something she wasn't saying; there was more to the story than what she'd told them. Thinking about the Moon Princess caused his heart to ache even more, and he couldn't understand why. Blurred images floated around in his mind, but whenever he tried to grasp one, they slipped away. 'Why must I struggle so simply to remember someone? I should not have to fight to remember something,' he thought. Something was horribly wrong. He closed his eyes and sank into a dark dream.

_A flash of golden hair and cerulean eyes again. Once again, those eyes were filled with tears. The sight made his heart twist painfully in his chest, and caused his stomach to sink. The image panned out, until he could easily have seen her face, but it was shrouded from his view. The bright light emanating from her began to fade out, and those gorgeous blue eyes turned dull and almost lifeless. No matter how he tried to look away, he could not. A deep wailing pain boiled in him, and tears spilled from his eyes. "Don't leave me," he pleaded. "Please…"_

_ "I tried to stay strong," she whispered, her voice devastatingly weak. "I can't hold on much longer, Seiya…"_

_ He cradled the dying girl in his arms. Why was she so important to him? Why did he feel like she was his sole reason for being? Tears continued to fall from his eyes, and the feeling of loss was agonizing. He couldn't bear it. "Hold on, Odango…" Who the heck was Odango? "Hold on…for me."_

_ "Live for me," her sweet voice murmured, and the last spark of light left her eyes, and she seemed to grow heavier in his grasp._

_ "Odango…" Sobs tore their way out of him. He couldn't understand it. He didn't know this girl, but seeing her like this tore him to shreds. Why did this fill him with such agony? The pain grew too great to hold in. "ODANGO!"_

Seiya woke up gasping, tears still spilling from his eyes. The pain was still there…who was the girl in his dreams? Why did it feel like she was the center of his universe, like she was the sun and he a planet in need of the sun's light? Panting, he lay back down. _"I'll never forget you…"_ he heard himself say, as if in a dream. He'd promised someone that once…it seemed like it had been long ago. 'Oh, stars…give me some answers!' he thought.

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

It was the dreams again…Dove…Adel remembered. No one believed her, though. Crazy, they said. Poor thing…she'll never be the same. Why did no one remember her? In her broken mind, Adel could still see images of that bright smile, the light the blonde girl shared with the world. She'd protected her once…where was she now? 'Where are you, Dove?' she silently cried. The blonde girl…she didn't like violence…Momma and Auntie made her fight…it was so scary…Malos…he hurt someone…Dove…white bird…peace…

The young woman tossed and turned, whimpering. Momma…Auntie…cousin…she shivered as she thought about the monsters. There weren't any anymore, Momma said. But there were. Something bad was coming...she had to tell Dove…couldn't find Dove…she didn't understand.

"Adel?"

Lisa checked on her daughter. She'd been acting strange lately…stranger, anyway. Silently, she cursed Malos for what he'd done to her daughter…what he'd almost done to _her_. But Malos was gone now, thanks to an unknown Nephilim. Adel inisisted that she had a cousin. True, Sammy was her cousin, but Ilene had no other children. Adel seemed to think there was someone else besides Sammy. "Are you all right, dear?" Lisa asked.

"Momma…"

"Mummy's here…" Lisa pulled her daughter into her arms. Memories eluded her, but she caught a flash of Adel as a child, playing with a little girl that was much smaller. Adel called the girl 'Dove'. Adel had always come up with names for people, based on their personalities…but she had never called anyone 'Dove'. Or had she? Lisa frowned as she tried to remember, but couldn't.

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Ilene tossed and turned in bed, trying to sleep. She had this distressed feeling deep inside her, like Sammy was in danger, but she'd checked on her son numerous times, and he was fine. Why did she feel so concerned? Her mind showed her an image of a little blonde girl gently holding Sammy when he was a baby. Her cerulean eyes, startlingly like Adel's, sparkled at her, and her sweet smile warmed Ilene's heart.

_"Can I help take care of him, Mummy?"_

_"Of course, dear. But do mind his head, Serena."_

Serena…why did that name sound so familiar? Who was that sweet, angelic little girl? Something deep in her heart whispered, 'You've forgotten someone so precious…she means more to you than just about anyone but Sammy…remember, Ilene…' The woman looked out the window. It was a crescent moon. Another image flashed in Ilene's mind. The girl was a little older now, and she was looking out at the moon. She'd always loved the crescent moon…wait. Ilene shook her head. This was too strange.

'You need sleep,' she told herself. 'You're over-tired.'

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Luna looked at the moon, distressed. The Princess was missing, and, according to Kakyuu-hime, was the one person who could defeat Chaos. She'd supposedly been found by the Scouts already, but Luna could not recall such events ever taking place. The cat was confused and frightened. If only Queen Selenity were here…perhaps she knew where her daughter was. If they were to find Princess Serenity, they would need a miracle.

+Dear Luna, you do not understand. My daughter is lost and needs your aid.+ The voice of the Queen of the Silver Millennium echoed in her mind.

"Your Majesty, forgive me."

+Do not fret, my friend. You will remember in time…but we must hurry. My daughter will soon be in grave danger. She is lost and uncertain…when you remember what must be remembered, you will know where to find her.+

"Can you not help?"

+Alas, my sweet daughter has, in way, made this more difficult. However, she had her reasons. I can give you this, though; look to the mists.+

"I don't understand."

+You will…+

"Artemis, wake up!" Luna practically kicked her soul mate in the face.

"Argh…Luna! What's wrong?"

"The Queen spoke to me."

Artemis was wide awake in an instant. "She's angry with us for not finding the Princess…" he murmured.

"No, that's not it! We need to remember her, and we can find her. But she's about to be put in terrible danger."

"Did she say anything else?"

"'Look to the mists.'"

"_Mrow?_"

"I know; it makes no sense to me, either. She also said that the Princess had apparently created some complications, but she apparently has her reasons."

"This gets more confusing by the hour," Artemis stated.

"Agreed."

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

_Trista was back at the Time Gate. Odd…she could have sworn she'd gone to bed…she looked down. She was Sailor Pluto. Princess Serenity herself stood before her. She was almost the spitting image of her mother, except that her hair was golden, and her eyes were a bright blue. The time soldier knelt before her, and the Princess raised her up again. The crescent insignia glowed brightly on her forehead, and she smiled sweetly at her guardian. Pluto felt a strange yet oddly familiar warmth. She felt like she'd seen that smile many times, but it also felt somewhat strange. Had she ever had someone smile so warmly at her?_

_ "Princess…how may I serve you?"_

_ "Pluto, my friend…I am in need of help from all of you. I need you all to remember me…otherwise, I will be lost forever. Trust Kakyuu-hime…she knows the truth. Most of it, at least. The mist around your memories is strong, but it can be broken. You must fight it."_

_ "I'm not sure I completely understand you, Your Highness."_

_ "Listen to your heart. It knows. Look for me in the mists. There is little time." The Princess began to fade._

_ "Princess!"_

_ "I cannot stay…"_

Trista awoke. She knew what the dream was. It had not necessarily been sent by the Princess, but by the Silver Crystal. Serenity was in trouble. But what were they all supposed to remember? What did Kakyuu-hime know that they didn't?

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Serena smiled sadly as she felt the fragment of the Silver Crystal struggling. Chaos' presence was taking a toll on her. She was moving quickly, but not quickly enough. Chaos was searching for her, plotting to destroy her. And she herself was her only protector. She knew that if she faltered, she could easily disappear into oblivion. But she'd lasted this long; she had plenty more time. All she needed to do was wait. Katherine was probably on her way. Even so…she wished she had Seiya to hold her. She wished Rae would smack her upside the head. She wanted to stop feeling so numb. It was better with Arriane around, but she was still incredibly lonely. 'Please remember…' she prayed softly.


	7. Part Six: Complications

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Six: Uh-oh…**

**Katherine: **Oh, so I can leave now?

**Starlily11: **Yup.

Samael and Beelzebub were asleep. Lucifer had retired hours ago. It was time to act. Breathing heavily but quietly, Katherine dragged herself to her feet. The wounds on her back hurt like a bitch, but she ignored the pain. If she didn't move now, who knew when she'd have to opportunity to get out of here again? The Nephilim called up a small, fiery dagger, and sliced into the chains. Her bonds disintegrated. So far, so good. She then took her weapon and sliced an opening into the locked door. The piece of the door would have landed noisily, but she caught it and laid it down quietly. Then, she took off running. She prayed silently that the images the Crystal had shown her were correct.

Once she was safely out of the dungeons, Katherine searched for some clothing. She didn't particularly fancy arriving back home clad only in her skin. Serena would be freaked out enough by her wounds; no need to make the girl faint because of a little nudity issue. Fortunately, that task was easily done. True, the small amount of clothing she could find was slutty and inappropriate, but she couldn't afford to be choosy. Once she was dressed, she kept moving. When her sire found her gone, all of Hell would know by midday, and she would have to move fast in order to escape. She wanted to be out of Pandemonium before the alarm was sounded.

Sure enough, when what passed for morning in Hell came, the alarms sounded. Katherine tried to be as inconspicuous as possible; fortunately, injuries from a whip were not uncommon here. And her clothing didn't draw much attention, either. She moved quickly, but did her best not to seem nervous. She had just barely gotten out of Pandemonium in time, but she still had a ways to go. What directions had the Silver Crystal given her; besides showing her how to put the guards to sleep? Oh, right…out of Pandemonium, and keep going straight. Oookaay…Katherine knew she should have a little more faith; after all, the Silver Crystal had kept her alive for all this time. Still…she kept walking.

"You cannot escape me so easily, daughter."

"Damn!" Katherine mentally swore in every language, including the angelic tongue when she heard her sire's voice behind her. She faced him.

"Beelzebub!" That guard appeared in an instant. Katherine thought frantically, trying to find a way out of this. She didn't want to fight right now. Then, she employed a tactic Serena had considered but never dared try; distraction by random comments.

"Father, Justin Bieber wanted me to tell you that he's sorry, but he has to cancel his monthly sacrifice of teenage girls' brains. It's sabotaging his career." Lucifer's face went blank, and his minions froze. Katherine seized her chance, and took off, diving behind a rock.

'Please, help me out here!' Katherine begged of the Crystal silently. At the same time, she was praying to God and every other benevolent deity she knew of that her sire wouldn't show up again. She didn't think her sanity would survive if he did. She kept moving, and tried to breathe. If she didn't breathe, she would pass out, and she would end up in another unpleasant situation. She'd tarried here long enough; Serena was counting on her. It was necessary to carry on. The large piece of the Crystal seemed to hear her; because it began to glow as she took off. The light grew brighter, and she knew her time here was up.

Katherine landed on a clump of grass, hard. She looked around and grinned. She was back. Her smile faded quickly, however, once she realized that she would have to explain to Serena that she'd swallowed the Silver Crystal. Hopefully, she'd understand. She probably would; after all, Serena was a pretty understanding person. The Nephilim stood, and dusted herself off, wincing as she felt the air stinging the wounds on her back. She would have to get those looked at…

"Kat?"

Katherine turned. Serena stood there, insubstantial as could be. It was apparent that she was starting to fade out. "Yeah, Sere, it's me. Sorry about the hold-up…"

Serena held up a hand. "It's all right. The point is that you're here now."

"Um…I have some good news and some bad news."

"If you're about to tell me Chaos is back, I know."

"Shit! Seriously?"

"Oh, you didn't know."

"This is bad…really bad. Okay, the large piece of the Silver Crystal is safe and sound, and it got me out. That's the good news."

"And the bad news? Please tell me Lucifer isn't going to return."

"No…but he captured me, and to keep the Crystal safe, I kind of sort of had to swallow it."

Serena blinked. "Oh?"

"I didn't know what else to do." Katherine tried to read her friend's face, but the girl's expression was impossible to read.

"So you mean to tell me that the other piece of the Silver Crystal, the thing that can save the world from Chaos is floating around in your digestive system."

"Yes?" Katherine was a little scared now.

Serena sighed. "Well, at least Lucifer didn't get his hands on it…and I don't think the Crystal will take too much damage. I suppose we'll just have to wait."

"I think it's stuck." Katherine knew she was telling the truth…the thing had been sitting there somewhere in her intestines for months. And it still hadn't come out.

Serena sighed again, and rubbed her temples. "This plan went seriously wrong…we're in so much trouble…"

"Maybe it'll come out on its own time, like when we need it," Katherine suggested.

"I hope so…for all our sakes." The girl frowned as she took in Katherine's injuries. "Come on. Let's get to Arriane's apartment. Those wounds look nasty."

Katherine agreed, wondering exactly what kind of mess she and Serena had created. 'We're in deep shit,' she thought. 'All we can do now is pray that we find a way to fix this.'


	8. Part Seven: Only Time Will Tell

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Seven: Only Time Will Tell**

**Serena: **When are you planning to get this story moving?

**Starlily11: **Patience…

As soon as she sensed the presence of a Nephilim, Arriane knew that there was still hope. She'd been getting worried. After all, she'd sensed that Serena's hope was starting to fade, and that her shard of the Silver Crystal was slowly losing its power. If that happened, Serena would fade out…forever. There would be no hope of her coming back this time if the pieces of the Silver Crystal weren't reunited quickly. Arriane hadn't told the blonde; chances were, the girl knew already. She only had about six months left. But since Katherine was back, surely this problem would be solved fairly quickly.

Katherine was a mess. It was obvious that she'd had a difficult time getting out of Hell. The girl was positively battered. Arriane steered her over to the couch and immediately began to heal her wounds. The Nephilim looked at Serena, not sure what the Princess of the White Moon was thinking. They'd discussed their situation on the way here, and hadn't been able to come up with a solution. Katherine knew that if they didn't think of something, it would end badly. Serena's shard of the Crystal was weakening, and if it wasn't reunited with the rest of the Crystal soon, Serena would be gone, and Chaos would most likely flatten everyone, and the whole universe would be screwed. She let out a hiss of pain as one of her nastier wounds started to heal.

"That's a bad one," Arriane murmured. "Sorry about that."

"S' all right."

"You're awfully quiet, Serena. What's the matter?"

The other girl blinked, and smiled quickly. "I'm fine, Arriane."

Katherine rolled her eyes. Typical. Apparently, it really was Serena who liked to handle things herself. She bit her tongue as she felt the sting of another wound being healed.

Arriane noticed her patient's reaction to the statement, and informed Serena; "Katherine's response to that remark says otherwise."

"I'm just in a quiet mood right now. I'm a little worried about the fact that Chaos is back, that's all."

Thanks to Arriane's skills at healing, Katherine was feeling much better, and the remaining wounds were tended to quickly. The Nephilim raised an eyebrow at the girl she'd shared a body with for about sixteen years. Serena shrugged, and seemed to drift away once again, deep in thought. Katherine sighed. What kind of mess had they made for themselves? More importantly, how would they clean it up? Arriane noticed the exchange, and wondered what the two were hiding. 'Hmm…there's something else going on, too,' she thought.

"Girls, you seem to think I'm blind. You're both hiding something."

Serena thought for a moment, and looked at Katherine again. The situation was kind of embarrassing when you thought about it. Katherine was blushing slightly, and clearly uncomfortable. She didn't want to embarrass her, but she also knew they would need some help. But still, the problem was so awkward…the Moon Princess started pacing. Katherine knew what was going through her head. 'Damn, why does she have to be so sensitive to other people's feelings?' she thought. 'We're in over our heads, and she's wasting time worrying about embarrassing me!'

"Just tell her, Serena," Katherine told the other girl.

"Okay," Serena sighed. "You're sure you won't be embarrassed?"

"That doesn't matter."

Arriane looked back and forth between her two charges. Something had clearly happened that both of them were somewhat reluctant to talk about.

Finally, after a few more minutes of aimless pacing, Serena spoke. "Arriane, it seems that our plan had one flaw, and while Kat was in Hell, something happened that we didn't plan for. Because of poor planning, we've caused yet another complication."

'Spit it out, Serena!' Katherine thought.

"Lucifer captured her, and held her prisoner for a while until she could escape. She had to find a way to protect her portion of the Silver Crystal, and she had limited options. As everyone knows, prison cells have very few places to hide such things, and so Kat was forced to think outside the box. She swallowed it."

Katherine flushed slightly, and Serena eyed Arriane worriedly. The Fallen angel appeared to be choking or having a seizure. "I know it sounds bad, but it isn't as bad as it sounds," Serena said. Katherine attempted to smack her upside the head, but realized she was wasting her time, as her hand went right through Serena. Instead, she resorted to giving the girl a dirty look. Surely Serena wasn't _that_ stupid! It _was_ a big deal, and they both knew it!

"You mean to tell me that the one thing that can help save the world is floating around somewhere in Katherine's digestive tract?" Arriane's tone was unreadable.

"Yeah." Serena's tone was nonchalant, and Katherine's glare intensified. Why was she trying to downplay it?

The Fallen angel sighed. "Well, since the Crystal has a mind of its own, I suppose only time will tell."

"Are you sure we can't just find a plant and make me barf it up?" Katherine inquired.

"You might choke," Serena informed her.

"Oh."

"It'll be fine. You'll see."

"You're too optimistic."

"_You're_ not optimistic _enough_."

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Chaos was getting frustrated. How was she supposed to control the universe if she couldn't extinguish that damned light that had foiled her plans last time? The woman paced, trying to come up with a plan. Maybe it had gone out. Maybe she was wasting her time. She ought to attack now and kill the Scouts now. Forget Sailor Moon. It would be so simple…they'd all been so easy to kill last time. What was stopping her? Sailor Moon was nowhere to be found. From what her followers had found, no one even recalled her existence!

It was better to be safe than sorry, though. What if that moon twit sensed the danger and came in at the last possible second? That was a risk; one that Chaos found rather horrifying. Surely it would be better to wait until she'd found her enemy and crushed her. That was, after all, why she'd failed last time. She'd underestimated that girl. But suppose she wasn't the actual threat. After all, she was a weakling. Those dratted Starlights had been what kept her alive for so long…she wouldn't have made it without them. Yes…perhaps _they _were the true threat.

'Hmm…decisions, decisions…' Chaos paused, thinking. She could kill them all now, just in case. Sailor Moon was nothing without her friends by her side. Yes, that was a good plan. But still….maybe she should wait. Only time could really tell how this would end.


	9. Part Eight: Lost Light

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Eight: Lost Light**

**AN: **For those who are wondering why Chaos is a girl; you know, I actually believe that Chaos was intended to be a dark entity that was beyond gender classification. The thing is, Naoko Takeuchi mentioned something in the manga about how, in the far future, Chaos would gain a Senshi form. Sailor Chaos is the opposite of Sailor Cosmos…and since Senshi are women…you get the idea. That and the only other choices are he, which would only work if Chaos took a man over the same way it did Galaxia, or 'it', which gets repetitive after a while.

Chaos finally ceased her pacing, and made a decision. Even if the Starlights were the main threat, it was best not to underestimate Sailor Moon. The girl's powers were formidable, even if she had no sense whatsoever as it would appear. It was best to start slow; send some monsters out and see if she appeared. If, after a few battles, she didn't appear or proved to be as incompetent and weak as she seemed, then it would be safe to push things further. If not…well, Chaos decided she'd cross that bridge when she came to it…_if_ she came to it. Silently, she focused her dark power, summoned one of the few minions she had left, and gave them her command.

"We'll see how strong you are, Sailor Moon. We shall see."

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Seiya was getting increasingly frustrated. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't completely remember the girl in his dreams. He was so close, but he couldn't open the door that would lead to all of the answers. The dreams were changing now, but they were more intense. Some would be stupid enough to dismiss them as nightmares, but he knew better. These were memories. Her name was Serena…but who was she? There were probably tons of girls with that name. He still couldn't understand why he felt like she was his reason for living; all he knew was that Taiki and Yaten, and the Sol Senshi had known her, too. Furthermore, Kakyuu-hime knew her, but refused to elaborate on anything, insisting it was better not to force those memories to return.

The raven-haired boy had little time to brood on this however, as a series of screams reached their ears. Everyone powered up and raced towards the source. Sure enough, there was one of Chaos' minions, along with a small army. Fighter cursed under her breath. These guys were going to be tough; she remembered them from when Kinmoku had been destroyed. She forced herself to stop thinking about that. It was necessary to focus on the current task. Uranus launched a single attack, and so the battle began.

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Serena jumped as the sound of something getting blasted to bits entered her range of hearing. Her heart froze as she realized that Chaos had probably attacked. And she couldn't do a thing. Or could she? She stood, her spectral form shining a little more brightly than normal, and headed for the door. She had no need to open it; she would just walk through it. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she wasn't just going to sit back on her bum and let her friends fight alone. She had only just learned to make herself visible, and her ability to let others hear her was still a work in progress, but she was determined to do something.

"Where do you think you're going?" Katherine inquired from behind her.

"I'm going to the fight. There's an attack going, and I'm _not _going to just sit here!"

"You can barely make yourself visible, and you're almost inaudible to anyone but angels and Nephilim. What exactly are you going to do?'

"I-I'll think of something on the way!"

"Sere, you can't go running into a battle as a specter without a plan! I don't know what it would do to you if you were to get hit by a blast, and I don't want to find out. I'll go fight; you should just stay here."

"I'm going!"

"No, you're not."

"Try and stop me." Serena's eyes were defiant, and Katherine sighed. This was going nowhere.

"Fine…you can come. Just try to stay out of the line of fire. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Okay."

"So we have a deal?"

"Mm-hmm…"

"Okay. Let's go."

Together, Nephilim and specter made their exit and headed for the battle. What they saw made Serena let out a noise of distress that went unheard by all but Katherine. Katherine gave her friend a kind, reassuring glance, but her eyes narrowed as she examined the damage that had already been done. The Outers were bruised and scraped, but not as much as the Inners. But the Starlights…a few of their wounds would need medical attention. Kakyuu barely had a mark on her, thanks to the efforts of the Starlights.

"She probably came here to warn us," Serena perceived aloud.

"Probably," Katherine agreed. "Now, you stay here and out of trouble, and I'll see what I can do."

"I still don't understand why _I _can't do something," Serena muttered sulkily.

"Because right now, you need to stay safe. You can fight once we figure out how to get the missing piece of the Crystal out of my intestines. But for now, you stay put."

"Yes, _mother_."

Katherine resisted the urge to cuff Serena on the side of the head and entered the fight.

"Good grief, you bad guys never learn, do you? Oh, well…guess you can't help it if you're stupid."

Kakyuu looked up. Was it Sailor Moon? No…Sailor Moon didn't say such things. Still, who was it? Everyone, including the enemy, looked up. High in the sky hovered a blonde girl with dark blue eyes. Large, glowing white wings sprang from her back, keeping her aloft. At first, Kakyuu thought maybe it _was_ Serena, but a closer look told her otherwise. Granted, there were a few similarities, but the telltale crescent moon insignia was missing. Still, the girl in the sky could easily be related to the Moon Princess. Did Serenity-hime have any sisters?

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~**

Fighter stared at the blonde girl hovering in the sky. Those wings…a flash of a blonde girl with flowing hair came to her. A silver jewel glowed on her chest, and wings spread out on either side of her…so beautiful…but here, it wasn't the same girl. Even so, memories stirred in her mind. Whatever was blocking her weakened, and Fighter took the opportunity. The small army attacked again, and the girl with angel wings swooped down, a flaming sword in her hand. _Nephilim_…the word came to Fighter unbidden. Half-angel, half human…Fighter was so distracted that she didn't notice the fist coming at her until it was too late to block it. Winded, inhaled and exhaled carefully a few times, and resumed the fight.

Katherine grimaced slightly as she saw Star Fighter take a hit. Serena was probably having a fit right now. She kept an eye on the noir-haired woman, mostly because no force in the universe would stop Serena from intervening if anything happened to her. That was something that couldn't be allowed right now. If Serena exerted too much energy, it would end up killing her…or at least make her fade out. That was the same thing, right?

The leader of the army, Millicent, silently cursed Chaos. Why hadn't her mistress mentioned there was a Nephilim around? Didn't she know those were bad news? If this one attacked her, she was screwed. Millicent disappeared, unwilling to risk her own neck. Her creatures were dispensable; she could create as many as she wished. It was time to go.

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

The memories were getting stronger…Fighter tried to push them back. It wasn't a good time now. But this time, her shrouded memories refused to be dismissed. She took out another monster, but the memories were determined to have their way. They became so vivid that she took five damaging blows and didn't notice. With the force of a powerful tsunami, everything she'd forgotten rushed back into her mind. It was like crossing from impenetrable darkness into dazzlingly bright light. Still, with remembrance came painful knowledge.

Kakyuu knew what was happening as soon as she saw Fighter lose focus. She tried to help her, but she couldn't get there in enough time to prevent the noir-haired beauty from taking several damaging hits. Healer and Maker had no idea what was going on, and it frightened them. The girl who resembled Serena lured the remaining creatures away, and Maker knelt beside Fighter to inspect the damage. It didn't look too bad, but something told the violet-eyed Starlight that something more was going on. Upon closer examination, she realized that Fighter's memories had returned. She looked at Kakyuu-hime, who had clearly drawn that same conclusion a while ago.

"What's wrong?" Uranus appeared.

"She got some memories back."

"So she knows now?"

"I don't know yet."

Kakyuu looked up, and realized that the winged girl was looking down at Fighter in concern and horrified realization. She knew something, that much was clear. When she saw Kakyuu was looking at her, her face changed, and she inclined her head politely, then flew away.

"Sere, we have trouble," Katherine informed the girl once she was out of earshot of the Scouts. "Fighter got her memories back."

"Oh, no…" Serena was troubled, because she realized that Fighter could have been killed. She'd been feeling remorseful about her decision, and she knew she'd probably caused the one person she loved more than anything else a world of pain.

"Let's get out of here. Princess Kakyuu knows I know something, and right now, we can't afford any questions."

Serena looked back at Fighter, hesitating.

"Come on!"

The Moon Princess obeyed sadly, knowing that it was probably for the best. Was it? She didn't have time to think on it, as Katherine used her angelic power to physically haul the girl away.

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Hours later, Seiya was still in a state of shock. He hadn't said anything to anyone…how could he? How could he tell them the truth? How could he tell them that Odango wasn't going to be able to help them this time? How could he tell them what she'd done? He knew her reason; but it didn't lessen the pain, nor did it make the consequences of her choice any less severe. He knew now what had happened that night a year ago, why those monsters had been unleashed. He knew that she'd erased their memories to prevent them from stopping her, and to keep them from grieving.

Didn't she know that even if she erased their memories of her and messed with the timeline that there would always be a part of them that would never forget? Those first few hours, he'd sat in silence, mentally raging at her for doing this to him. He'd screamed at her inside for leaving him like this, for not even letting him really tell her goodbye. And then, guilt. He should have gone after her that day. He'd felt the devastating sense of finality, tasted the bitterness of parting in that final kiss. And yet he'd let her go. Now, she was gone. Finally, the pain. The crushing pain of losing the girl he loved above all else.

"Odango…" he whispered.

He'd known about her split destinies, but he'd never dreamed that she would just accept it. What had come over her? The girl he'd known would have found another way. But she hadn't. She'd done the unthinkable. She'd kissed him farewell, tearlessly, and then erased all traces of her existence from the minds of everyone on Earth. But she hadn't reached Kinmoku. Even so, the damage was done. He remembered what the Powers had said; for the gates to Hell to be closed properly, they had to be reopened. But Lucifer had said she'd be burned to a crisp. Then again, that guy was evil, and wouldn't balk at telling a few large lies. Serena, pure, sweet Serena, had sealed herself into Hell. Even if she managed to escape, she wouldn't be the same.

Tears spilled from his eyes as he realized that this time, that warm, sweet light was truly lost to him, and to the world.


	10. Part Nine: Behind Closed Doors

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Nine: Behind Closed Doors**

**Serena: **You've been listening to Sweeney Todd music…if that homicidal barber makes an appearance, I'll throttle you!

**Starlily11: **Hush…that won't happen.

"Seiya, open up! You've been hiding out in there for two days!" Yaten pounded on the door. "Come out… please. We're worried about you."

Seiya ignored his silver-haired friend. He didn't want to tell them what he knew…not yet. How could he look the Sol Senshi in the eyes and tell them all that their Princess was lost to them forever? She wasn't dead, but she was as good as. She had sealed herself into Hell. If she ever returned, she wouldn't be the same girl they all knew and adored. For the first several hours, he'd been convinced that she was dead, but then he realized that though her shine was almost impossible to see, it was still there. That didn't make the pain any less; she was still gone, doomed to torture and suffering that he couldn't even begin to imagine.

He turned his midnight blue eyes to the window, and to what had once been the brightest light in the galaxy. "Why, Odango?" he whispered. "Why didn't you find an alternative path? Why did you lose hope?" That was what haunted him the most; he remembered those days when his angel had begun to wither, when she wouldn't sleep or eat. He'd seen the dead look in her eyes merely twenty four hours before she'd sealed her fate. What on Earth had Lucifer done to crush her like that? If only he'd been able to help her…

There was the sound of wood splintering, and Seiya turned. "What?" The raven-haired male's tone was snappish and irritated.

"Excuse me for wanting to make sure you hadn't died on us!" Yaten huffed. "Get your head out of your ass and tell me what's going on. You've been holed up in here for days."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad. I'm not leaving until I get some answers. Kakyuu-hime is worried sick, and Taiki's terrified that you're not going to pull through this funk you're in."

"Good luck."

Yaten's voice turned pleading, and his green eyes were anguished. "Please!"

Seiya sighed. He knew he should tell them something…he knew he was causing them pain. But what could he say?

Yaten could tell that he'd gotten through to Seiya on some level. "Kakyuu-hime said that when you got your memories back, it might be painful."

"She was right."

"So they've returned?"

"Yes."

"Do you know anything about where Sailor Moon is?"

Seiya forced himself to talk around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "I remembered…"

Yaten felt the depth of his friend's pain for the first time. It was overwhelming; the sorrow and grief Seiya was feeling nearly caused the silver-haired boy to drop to his knees. Things were coming to the surface… Seiya and the Moon Princess had been romantically involved. That helped clear some things up, but it didn't explain what had happened.

"Did something happen? Is she…?"

"She's not dead…but she's still lost to us."

"Did Chaos…?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"She's sealed herself into Hell."

Yaten gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Why else would she tamper with our memories and disappear like this?"

"How do you know? Were you there?"

"No. I just know."

"How are we going to tell Kakyuu-hime…and the others?"

"It wouldn't make any sense…the situation was incredibly complicated. You would all need to know the particulars, and as no one but me remembers…"

"I think Pluto knows now…" Yaten stated quietly. "They say she returned from the Time Gate yesterday and hasn't said a word since."

"I suppose I need to go find out."

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

"I see now what Queen Selenity meant when she said there were complications…I simply do not understand exactly what happened." Trista spoke her thoughts aloud, softly behind the closed door to her room. "It makes no sense…in all my years, I have never seen such a thing." She'd finally been able to view what had occurred, and with that, her memories had been restored. She also knew that Seiya had drawn his own conclusions. Things were still hazy, and details were missing, but she knew well enough what had gone down. Serena had accepted her fate and done what was necessary; but somehow, she knew that her Princess had escaped. Crystal Tokyo was still intact, but starting to flicker in and out of existence. If she were permanently trapped in Hell, that wouldn't be the case. Still, the time soldier could not figure out what had occurred.

"How can someone be in two places at once? The only way that could happen is if somehow she managed to clone herself…but I don't see how she could have done that without the help of the Crystal…"

Trista frowned slightly. "Could that be it? But how did she do it without my knowledge…every time the Crystal is used, we all feel it…"

"You know, Trista, it isn't a good sign when you start talking to yourself." Amara had opened the door and was standing in the doorway.

Trista jumped. How much had the sky soldier overheard? "I was simply thinking aloud," she stated calmly.

"You've been acting weird for twenty four hours now. Knowing you, it means one of two things; either we're all about to die, or there's some hidden information that you're not sure you should tell us. Which is it?"

"As far as I know, no one is going to die an untimely death. As for hidden information; there is none. You all know the facts; you just aren't aware that you know." 'Although an untimely death is possible; Serena's presence on Earth is extremely weak. But how can I let them know without forcing memories out?' Trista was having quite the dilemma. She needed to save her Princess, and needed assistance, but she couldn't force memories out; that could cause permanent damage to her comrades' minds.

"Seriously, what's going on? Did you get your memories back?"

"Yes," Trista admitted.

"Then do you know where our Princess is?"

Mentally, the time soldier cursed. How could she be honest but not give anything away?

"Amara, can you help me do the dishes?" Michelle called.

Amara replied, "Okay." The sandy blonde turned and went to help her lover. Trista wiped her brow and breathed a sigh of relief. A flash came to her mind. Seiya was on his way. He knew what was going on. The time soldier stood and quietly made her exit.

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

Seiya wasn't surprised when Trista met him as he headed to the Outers' home. He'd gotten used to how she always seemed to know what was about to happen. All it took was one look at Seiya's face, and Trista knew that he was aware of what had happened. Now the question was; did he know there was hope? No…she could feel the pain emanating from him. Well, at the very least, she could assure him that it was possible that she had found a way out of her situation.

"You've remembered," Trista stated, easing into it.

Seiya nodded. "You do, too. You know that she sacrificed herself to save the world."

"I do…but I do not think she is doomed. If my hunch is correct, there is a chance that she never entered Hell at all."

"What?" Seiya was taken aback. "How can that be?"

"One cannot live two destinies at once…there is something strange about it. When I was at the Time Gate, I noticed something peculiar. When she opened the portal, it appeared that she was reduced to ashes, but she was not. But there was something different about her; rather like another person appeared to take her place. "

"You mean she might have found a way around it?"

"It's possible. I do not pretend to know how my Princess thinks, but she is not half as empty-headed as she pretends to be."

"That is true."

"What I cannot figure out is what she did, or how she did it. She would need to clone herself, which is unlikely, or there is another player in this that none of us are aware of."

"You mean that someone besides her family and us knew about her?"

"That is exactly what I mean. I doubt Lucifer was involved."

"You know about that…the connection to her?"

"I know he sired her. I must say, it was a surprise. I think he knows there's another player, but I do not believe that he knew what the plan was. Besides, Serena's presence is still here on Earth. If she were in Hell, it would not be so."

"But she's fading, wherever she is."

"That is why we need to find her; and quickly."

"Where do we start?"

"Do you remember that the Powers came that night…when the boundaries between Hell and this dimension temporarily disappeared? Angels can perceive things that even I cannot begin to contemplate. And Arriane…the one who is a family friend. Even Fallen angels have amazing powers of perception. I think, if we asked her, she might know."

**~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~()~~~**

"Seiya got his memories back," Serena fretted. "Oh, man, he's going to hate me forever!"

"Chill out, Sere. Once he understands why you did it, he'll forgive you. Besides, he loves you so much he couldn't possibly stay mad at you for long." Katherine was confident about that.

"He'll be really mad, though. When he's mad at me, it hurts. He doesn't yell at me or anything, but it just hurts knowing I made him mad, because I know that under all that, I hurt him."

"Again…you were perfectly justified. He can't be annoyed with you for doing what was necessary. I mean, it's not like you murdered someone and baked them into a meat pie!"

"Eew."

"Sorry; I watched Sweeney Todd last night."

"I just hope he doesn't think I'm dead or something; because then I've really hurt him."

"Calm down. At least he didn't get sucked into Hell or watch what was supposedly you burn to ashes. That's what would have happened if you hadn't messed with his memories. You and I both know that he would have realized something was up and followed us. Then, he wouldn't have left your side, and he would have been in huge trouble or gotten seriously hurt."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course. I always am."

"You're wrong about one thing."

"Oh?"

"You actually like Sweeney Todd. What's wrong with you?"

"I think Mrs. Lovett is funny."

"She bakes people into pies!"

"She's a nutcase, but she's funny!"


	11. Part Ten: The Warning

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Ten: The Warning**

**AN: **Sorry it's been awhile. School starts in a week, and I have a major case of writer's block.

Serena and Katherine spent another fifteen minutes arguing about whether or not Sweeney Todd was an insane, soulless murderer or a tragic figure caught up in something that would make any man go insane. Finally, Katherine walked over to the TV and started watching it. Serena, having no desire to watch wanton bloodshed, sighed and left the apartment. She tried her best not to think about Seiya; that was still too painful, and she couldn't do anything to alleviate the pain. She couldn't even cry. She knew that she and Katherine would figure something out, but that time seemed so far off. She pushed Seiya from her mind. In fact, she did her best not to think at all. The blonde sank into a daze.

_ It was dark, and there was an unpleasant sensation going over her skin. It had been so long since she'd felt anything that she didn't know what this sensation was. Serena rubbed her shoulders, and then wondered why she'd done that. Finally, the name of the sensation came to her. She was cold. That was what the word was. It was very strange. When was the last time she'd touched something and felt it? It had scarcely been a year, but she'd still forgotten. Now, the sense of touch was completely foreign to her. It was unnerving. Where was she? The darkness seemed to close in around her, and rose up like waves before crashing down._

_ The blonde struggled, trying to fight this. If she didn't, she would die. Or was she already dead…? No, she wasn't. But she sure as heck would be if she didn't get out of here! She clawed for non-existent solid ground. But her fingers found nothing but dark water. She opened her mouth to take a breath, but water gushed in, rushing into her lungs…oh, her throat burned! But the pain in her chest was even more unbearable…she was dying…_

Serena jerked, gasping. She was lying somewhere in an unknown graveyard. How had that happened? She'd been in one of her favorite glades last time she'd been aware…had she fallen asleep? No…that was impossible. She hadn't slept in just a little over a year. It was so strange…where was she? The blonde stood, and glanced about her once again. She had absolutely no idea where she was or how she'd gotten there. "Wh-where am I?" she whispered. "How did I _get_ here?"

"You're starting to fade."

Serena let out a yelp and turned around. Standing before her was a tall man in a white suit. His eyes were kind, and he radiated tranquility and peace. The blonde girl realized what he was immediately. "You're an angel," she squeaked. The powerful aura was unmistakable. As attuned as she now was to auras, she knew without a doubt that this being standing before her was an angel, sent from Heaven.

Her visitor smiled faintly, and she noticed that with all of this splendor and glory, and tranquility, there was also sadness. "Yes. But I am not just any angel. I am an Angel of Death; Andrew."

Serena stared at him for a minute. "You're the Angel of Death?"

"I'm _an_ Angel of Death."

"There's more than one?"

"Of course. Thousands of people die every day, if not millions. If I were the only Angel of Death, I would be busy every waking second. God knows even we angels have limits, so at some point he made a few more Angels of Death to ease the stress on the first one."

"That makes sense…so if you're an Angel of Death, why are you talking to me?"

Andrew looked at her, and Serena read the meaning in his eyes. When the blonde inhaled sharply, his eyes became even sadder. "So you understand."

"Why?"

"The small shard of the Silver Crystal inside you is getting weaker. It cannot hold on for much longer. You're fading, and eventually, you will die."

Serena forced herself not to let tears rise to her eyes. What was the point? She couldn't shed them anyway. "Are you going to take me now? Because if you are, I'd like the chance to say goodbye."

"No, not yet. But soon. You will have the chance to say your goodbyes. Do not be afraid; I will make this as painless as possible. There is nothing to be afraid of."

"Can't I stay?"

"You have only a matter of months, possibly weeks. Unless you find a way to reunite the pieces of your Crystal, you will die."

Serena thought about the current situation. Chaos was back, most of the world didn't remember her, she was totally ineffectual, and she was dying. "I can't just leave; my friends need me…I need to stop Chaos. I can't just abandon everyone. Please, let me stay."

"I am sorry, Serena. But there's nothing I can do but try to comfort you when the time comes."

The blonde took a few unnecessary deep breaths. She needed to remain calm. Andrew was just doing his job. She knew he was as sad about this as she was. Possibly even more so. He'd probably seen millions of people do just what she was doing. And some of them probably hadn't been very nice. "Will God let Chaos win?"

"He works in ways that are not understood even by we angels. But no, I do not think that He will let all humanity perish."

"Okay. Um, before you go, would you mind explaining why I had this weird dream? I'm not supposed to sleep, so…"

"The fragment of the Crystal is getting more and more unstable; it will get worse. It's a warning that you haven't much time left."

Serena closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Andrew was gone. She looked around for a moment. But he wasn't there. The blonde started walking, and found that she really wasn't too far away from Arriane's apartment. But it was quickly getting dark. It had been about noon when she'd left. Katherine and Arriane were probably really upset with her by now. How could she tell them what was going to happen? Maybe she just wouldn't tell them. Maybe she'd find a way to get out of this. People nearly died all the time. She headed back.

Once the blonde entered, she knew she was in for it. As soon as Serena entered the living room, Arriane turned off the TV and faced her. "Where have you been?"

"I went for a walk and zoned out. I lost track of the time. I'm sorry."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes." In a way, she was. She had simply left out some details.

"Come on, Serena. I know you better than that. Katherine does, too."

"Of course she does. We shared a body for, like, sixteen years."

"If I called her in, would she tell me that you're telling the truth?"

Serena had fooled Katherine before. "Yes."

Arriane raised an eyebrow, but knew a lost battle when she saw one. "All right. Suit yourself. Katherine, can you get any sensible answers out of her?"

"We'll see," was the reply. The Nephilim stepped forward, and Serena mentally cursed as she realized that she had been standing their ever since this conversation had begun. Arriane slipped out, and the two girls were left alone. Once the door was securely shut, Katherine spoke. "Okay, now that Arriane's gone, will you _please_ spouting the bullshit that's been leaving your mouth ever since you got here?"

"I'm telling the truth. I went out to escape being exposed to Sweeney Todd, the Homicidal Maniac of Fleet Street, and I zoned out."

Katherine looked the Moon Princess directly in her cerulean eyes. There was no indication of a lie, but it didn't mean there were some significant details missing. "You just zoned out? You didn't disappear for a while or cross into another hereafter?"

"No." 'I don't _think_ so…' Serena added silently.

"You don't sound too sure about that."

"I took a wrong turn and ended up in a graveyard is all."

Katherine paused. "Okay…that makes more sense. You're being honest with me?"

"Yes." 'Not completely, but you don't need to know that right now.'

"If you aren't, I'll wring your neck."

"Uh…you can't? I'm a ghost?"

"When we get you back to normal, then." Seeing the dubious look on Serena's face; "We _will_ get you back to normal."

"Okay, okay! I trust you."

"Hmph…" with one last look, Katherine started to head out, and called, "She's being honest."

"Duh! When have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"

Katherine opened her mouth to answer.

"Rhetorical."


	12. Part Eleven: Mass Confusion

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Eleven: Mass Confusion**

**AN: **I forgot to tell you all something; Andrew is actually from a show called 'Touched by an Angel', and therefore, he is not mine. Furthermore, my chapters will be slower in coming due to the fact that school starts up like, next week.

**Rae's Temple, Early Evening**

Rae knelt before the fire, trying to make some small amount of sense out of the whirlwind of images she was receiving from it. So far, she'd figured out the Moon Princess had been fighting something when all of this weirdness started up. It was defeated, but her connection to Chaos was still a blur. The fiery priestess sighed. She wished her memories would just hurry up and return already. It was now common knowledge that all of their memories had been tampered with, and things got a little clearer every day. Seiya and Trista were the only two who seemed to have much of a grasp on what was going on, but they weren't talking.

'Can't this thing be a little more specific?' Rae thought impatiently. The fire flared up as if it could hear her, and as though it were annoyed. 'Well, you're being a little vague!' she retorted silently.

The flurry of images entered her mind again. "I see the images," Rae snapped. "I just don't understand what they mean! Geez, can't you give me an image dictionary or something?"

The fire continued to burn, and did nothing to clarify. Rae growled in frustration. 'Why can't Trista and Seiya just sit us all down and explain things? The rest of us are in a state of mass confusion. The least they could do is at least give us a hint!'

The Starlight and the Guardian of Time had been perpetually stubborn about the whole matter. Every time someone asked, it was the same answer; you'll know soon…be patient, we can't force the memories…crap like that. Neither would budge. What was the point of this whole secrecy conspiracy? 'If Serena were around, she'd get it out of Seiya in a heartbeat,' Rae thought. Then; 'Why did I just think that?' The priestess shook her head in an effort to clear it. Who was Serena? Why did she get a feeling of affectionate exasperation or occasional irritation when she thought about this person? It was so confusing…

**Tsukino Residence, Dusk**

Sammy lay down in bed, but he was far from going to sleep. He was too confused. For some reason, he thought he had a big sister named Serena. But that was crazy…he was an only child. His mom and aunt had told him so. But all of memories he had contained Serena. She was a sweet, ditzy klutz with crybaby tendencies. But when he'd mentioned her, his mom and aunt had both looked at him like he was crazy. Furthermore, he had picked her friends' brains, and they didn't remember her, either! The whole world had gone crazy…or was it just him? He hadn't just blabbed about it to the girls, but he'd approached them and said he was looking for his sister, Serena Tsukino, and they hadn't recognized the name at all.

The boy rubbed his temples. 'Am I crazy?' he wondered. 'Or is the world crazy?'

"You're not crazy." Adel spoke from the doorway.

Sammy wasn't sure if he was relieved or not. His cousin Adel was known to be a little bit unstable herself, or at least, she had some sort of developmental issue; no one in the family really talked about it. "You remember her, too?" he asked.

Adel nodded. She was much older than he was, but her eyes had none of the maturity or tiredness that others her age had. She possessed the mind of about a five-year-old. "Serena's real."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know…" Adel shrugged, but she looked worried.

Sammy thought for a minute. When she'd met Amy and the others, she'd become less of a crybaby, and her grades had gotten a little better. Then, when some more, older girls came into the picture, she'd started getting almost mature. After a while, she'd stopped being a crybaby altogether. It had been sudden, too. But she'd gotten secretive, and some days, she was really depressed. Then, she'd disappeared for a year, and come back without much of an explanation. Now, she was flat out missing. Sammy's brow furrowed. Had his sister gotten into some sort of trouble? He hoped not. Serena was an airhead, but she was also sweet and sincere, though he would never say that aloud. She would never just leave like this, unless…

What if she was lying dead in a ditch somewhere? Sammy pushed that thought out of his mind. 'Don't get carried away.'

"I think she's in trouble," Adel whispered.

"I think so, too."

"We need to tell Aunt Ilene and Mum."

"They won't believe us. We need to find her ourselves." 'Serena, where are you?' he thought. 'Do you even exist?'

**Location Unknown, Time Unknown**

"There's a Nephilim on the loose?" Chaos inquired. "And you didn't tell me this because…?"

"I didn't know," Millicent answered. "Forgive me, ma'am, but you did the scouting yourself. You did not mention a Nephilim."

"I was not aware that there were any in existence. This could jeopardize the entire mission…" Chaos was thinking quickly. She knew little about Nephilim, only that their powers were legendary, and that they'd supposedly died out long ago. Wasn't there a way to nip this in the bud…ah, yes. Nephilims were abominations, and angels from the place up in the clouds had killed them all, if you believed what the people of Earth thought. Chaos' brow furrowed. The people of Terra were generally clueless…this was not much to go on.

"Well, madam, what shall we do now?" Millicent asked.

"I suppose that until we figure out exactly what the Nephilim's purpose is, we shall simply have to be more subtle with our attacks. Millicent, dear…have you ever heard of psychological warfare?"

"Yes…you don't think…"

"Yes. We will wage a secret war, and destroy them from the inside out…plant suspicion and disharmony among the Senshi until they destroy themselves."

"How will we do that?"

"You, Millicent, will make a few appearances, disguised, of course, and plant seeds in their minds. For example, Star Fighter has quite an ego. If you were, say, to cause Star Healer to attack said ego, that would cause a great deal of trouble. Sailor Mars has a dreadful temper. If you manage to start a fight between, say, her and Mercury…"

"Oh…that could work…"

"Exactly. Now, go. Let us begin."

"Of course."

**Arriane's Apartment, Late Evening**

Serena sat quietly, thinking on what Andrew had told her. What was she going to do? How could she tell Katherine and Arriane about this after everything they'd done for her? But perhaps she should…hadn't she only made everything worse trying to handle things herself before? But still, the pressure on Katherine was bad enough…Serena absently smoothed a non-existent wrinkle from her flowing white skirt. She had to smile faintly about how strange this was. She could only physically touch herself, her insubstantial, transparent self. Everything else, she simply passed through. She sobered again though as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Serena?"

The blonde girl blinked at the sound of someone calling her name. But she quickly drifted back into her thoughts.

"Serena…" The voice was louder.

"Serena!"

It was even louder…Serena furrowed her brows, trying to concentrate.

"OI! SERENA!"

The blonde girl jumped, and found herself staring at a very annoyed Katherine. "Oh, hi, Kat. How long have you been standing there?"

"A while now. Seriously, something is wrong. You're oceans away from everyone else."

"I was…" Serena was searching for something that would cause her to be distracted.

"You were…?"

A very random thought popped into the Moon Princess' mind. "I was trying to figure something out. You know how we both shared the same body and everything? We're two separate people, so if we were both born in England, but only one of us is actually Ilene Tsukino's daughter, which one of us is British?"

The look on Katherine's face was so priceless that Serena almost laughed. But she refrained and looked at her friend very seriously, waiting for an answer. The Nephilim thought for a moment, clearly thinking the concept over. Finally, she spoke, with one last strange look at Serena. "Erm…considering that I have been speaking with a British accent ever since we separated, and you were originally the Princess of the White Moon, I suppose that I am the one who is British. Since you were born in England, you are technically British, but considering who you are, and the fact that you are reincarnated, I suppose I am the one who is British."

"Oh!" Serena managed to sound like she had genuinely been confused and now understood. "That makes so much more sense!"

"But we are both daughters of Ilene Tsukino. It's just that you have a past life and I do not."

"Okay. I get it now. Thank you."

"Um…you're welcome?"

"You really helped me."

"Are you sure that's what you were thinking about?"

"Yeah."

"Okay…" As Katherine left, she muttered, "Strange person, that girl…must be a Lunarian thing…being confusing beyond all belief."


	13. Part Twelve: Hopeless

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twelve: Hopeless**

**AN: **Sorry this is so late, but I have been so busy that I don't exactly remember what free time is. I just now found some time to work on this.

Serena sat quietly, thinking about what Andrew had told her. It had been two days since she had met him, and he had given her the news that made it impossible for her to have any peace of mind. Briefly, she wished that she weren't a specter so that she could get some sleep, but then recalled the blackout she'd had. For all she knew, that could be what passed for a dream for ghosts. No, thank you…she had enough to deal with already. No need to add nightmares to the mix. The blonde turned her eyes to the crescent moon. She knew something had to be done, but Katherine was upset enough as it was. She didn't want to put pressure on her friend's shoulders. She was doing the best she could.

"I wish I could learn how to make myself seen and heard faster; then I wouldn't feel so useless," she thought wretchedly. The best she could do was be a misty, blurry figure of light. Her ability to make her voice audible was not even worth mentioning. Not even a ghost box or EVP recorder could pick her up. The best she could do was an inaudible whisper. The situation made her want to scream and bang her head against a wall. The thing was, if she did either of those, they would have no effect. Arriane and Katherine were out, so they couldn't hear her, and her ghostly form would just pass right through the wall.

If only she knew whether or not ghosts could use telepathy…then she could at least let Seiya know that she wasn't dead. Well, that she was still there. She wasn't really dead, but then, she wasn't exactly alive, either… 'Serena, you're giving yourself a headache,' she told herself. 'You need to calm down and try to think rationally.' The blonde took a deep, completely unnecessary breath, and tried to calm herself. If she kept thinking the way she'd been doing, she would drive herself insane. "In, out, in, out…" she murmured to herself. The girl wandered into the den, and groaned as she realized that Sweeney Todd was still playing on mute. She gagged as the Homicidal Maniac of Fleet Street slit another innocent man's throat, and promptly decided that it was time to leave the apartment for a little bit. She passed through the door and made her exit.

**Earth, Mid-evening**

Trista tried for the umpteenth time to contact her Princess via telepathy. There was no answer. Again. What would it take to make contact with her? The time soldier was almost at her wit's end. It was so damn frustrating! Her Princess was here on Earth, slowly fading out, and there was nothing she could do. 'What is the use of being able to manipulate time, if I can't find my own Princess?' she wondered. She and Seiya had both been trying to reach her through thought, but it was like the connection was broken. And yet, it felt like it was still there…they could feel it, but it was like trying to catch the wind. It was like the connection was there, but useless and…almost insubstantial. She sighed.

"This is useless," Seiya groaned.

They were outside, well away from prying eyes. Actually, they were in one of Serena's favorite hideouts. Trista glared at him, and the dark-haired boy swallowed slightly. Trista was just a little bit frightening when she got annoyed. "At least I am actually doing something," she hissed.

"We've been trying for hours with no luck. I think we're taking the wrong approach. I'm not saying we should give up. Just that we should try something else." Seiya's midnight blue eyes turned sad as he realized that they were both almost out of ideas and they still hadn't found his Odango. "Weren't we going to speak with Arriane and see if she knew anything?"

"Oddly, Fallen do not show up in the Time Gate; without that, I have no idea where she is. You were there; don't you have some idea?"

"Honestly, I was still a little woozy from being torture by Malos. I don't know." Seiya looked positively wretched.

Trista softened. "You're right…forgive me. I had forgotten. We'll find her. I don't know how, but we will. We just cannot give up."

"I hope she's okay," Seiya worried. "I hope she isn't alone and hurting somewhere…" He turned his eyes to the sky. The crescent moon was so bright. Was his angel somewhere nearby, watching the sky as well?

**§†****Ѣ¥****†****Ѣ¥****†****Ѣ¥****†§**

Serena wandered through the streets, invisible and untouchable for a time. After a while, she headed for one of her favorite hideouts. One was a hidden glade that she particularly liked. It was good for a hiding place, a place to go when she wanted to be alone. When she and Katherine had started to split, she'd come here often. But when she entered, she found Seiya and Trista in the middle of a quiet conversation. She edged closer to hear what they were saying. A part of her said that she should make herself known, but what would she do? She wouldn't be able to make herself heard, and would not be able to communicate. Furthermore, they might think she was one of Chaos' tricks and attack. She wasn't sure if Fighter's laser beam would work on her, or if Pluto's Dead Scream would cause any damage, but she wasn't too keen to find out.

"…find her. I don't know how…" Oh. They were talking about her. Serena wasn't sure she wanted to hear this.

"Why don't you make yourself known?" Andrew asked from beside her.

"You…" was all Serena managed to get out.

"You wanted to say your goodbyes, did you not?"

"I have to go _now_?"

"No…but you are running out of time."

"Just go away, will you?"

"As you wish." Andrew disappeared.

Serena focused her attention on Seiya. His gorgeous blue eyes were sad. And it was all her fault. His face was agonized, and she knew he was hurting, missing her. Impulsively, she put her arms around him, forgetting that she could not touch him. She remembered painfully when her arms passed through him, and her eyes filled with tears that could not be shed. Seiya moved forward, and passed through her, completely unaware that she was standing right in front of him. Serena was frozen in time for a moment, uncomprehending. Then, she laughed.

It was a mixture of laughter and tears, actually. The girl sank to the ground, the tears in her eyes making her eyes useless. Pain was tearing into her heart, both a blazing hellfire and icy coldness. It was the worst kind of pain she'd ever known. She was truly invisible. Neither of them had the slightest clue that she was there. Every particle of her was screaming at the stars, crying to some unknown power for mercy and for grace. If this pain didn't stop, she would die. A wordless, agonized wail flew from her lips, and if Seiya had been able to hear her, his heart would surely have shattered to pieces. The girl clawed at her heart, wishing that she could rip it out of her chest.

Seiya should have at least gotten a faint feeling that she was near; her mind thought. Or was that what her heart was crying? Which one was it? Did she really care? The point was that Seiya had walked straight through her and not even realized that she was there. He hadn't even looked back. She was just mist. And soon, all that would be left of her was mist and legends. Serena let out a sob, and let the rest of her body that wasn't on the ground crumple down into a heap. The pain took over, and darkness closed in.


	14. Part Thirteen: Revelation of Truth

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Thirteen: Revelation of Truth**

**AN: **Yay, another chapter! I just hope the homework load doesn't get too bad this week…

**Location Unknown, Time Unknown**

_ She was drowning again. The dark water held her in an unbreakable grip, and not matter how she struggled, she could not escape. The water rushed into her nose and forced its way into her lungs. She coughed and gagged, but could not breathe. She clawed at her throat, frantically trying to pull air into her lungs. But it was no use…she was dead. Eventually, her strength gave out, and she went limp, letting the darkness of the water steal over her, singing a song of night and death. The fight was won, and she surrendered… The pain began again, and it was dark, too dark to see anything._

_ The girl tried to scream, but she could draw no breath, make no sound. Then, she was falling. When she finally landed, she was in a room that she had hoped never to see again. It was all too familiar, and brought back memories she would have preferred to have remained buried. She was back in Uziel Schneider's attic. The runes were on the floor, and trapped her just like before. Oh, gods…she felt sick. Uziel had never hurt her, but he'd kept her captive, and, in the end, had tried to force her to marry him. How many days had she spent in this room, praying for release and feeling like no one cared about her? How many mornings had she awakened and considered ending it all? _

_ Those days had almost destroyed her sanity. When her Scouts had finally come for her, she'd almost completely given up hope. She had pretended to be okay, but she'd had nightmares for months afterward about Uziel and his madness, of being alone. She'd brushed it off to the others as just the return of nightmares about Malos. And no one had questioned her. No one could know how close she'd come to letting go, how close she'd come to ending her own life. The only one who knew about that was Katherine, and she wouldn't tell a soul._

**Arriane's Apartment, Late Evening**

"Oi! Serena!" Katherine called for the Moon Princess. "Sorry I left Sweeney Todd on. I didn't mean to…"

There was no answer, and the apartment felt like no one had been there for at least a couple of hours. Katherine felt apprehension set in, but tried again. 'Serena, your optimism is contagious,' she thought. "Serena! Hey, come on! Get your ghostly butt out here!" Katherine looked around, and began searching rooms. No one was there. The Nephilim was starting to panic. She breathed in and out deeply a few times, trying to remain calm. Serena was probably just trying to get her back for torturing her with endless Sweeney Todd reruns. "Serena, this isn't funny!"

"What is it?" Arriane asked.

"I can't find Serena." Katherine took a look in the refrigerator out of desperation, even though she knew there was no way the ditzy blonde would be in there.

"Maybe she went out," Arriane suggested, even though she too looked apprehensive.

"I'm going to go look for her."

"I'll come with you."

Katherine didn't argue, even though it briefly occurred to her that someone should perhaps stay behind in case Serena returned on her own. The two left the apartment again, hoping against hope that something hadn't happened to the blonde. 'Please, let us find her!' Katherine prayed. 'Seiya will kill me if he ever finds out what we did and that I lost his girlfriend. Ye gods, so will everyone else!'

**Downtown, Late Evening**

Seiya was feeling discouraged. He and Trista had spent all day trying to make contact with Serena, but nothing was working. He'd used their connection, but it was like reaching for empty air. His heart was heavy as he headed back to the apartment he shared with Taiki and Yaten. He was in for it when he got home; he'd skipped school for the third time this week, and Taiki was ready to wring his neck. That, and the fact that he had basically disappeared without warning and pretty much guaranteed that both his comrades would be wondering exactly where he was. Oh, yes, he was going to be so dead when he got home.

The moon was beautiful tonight. Seiya felt the usual melancholy as he caught sight of it. Where was his Odango? Why had she left him hanging like this? Hopefully, she was safe from harm. But where was she? Why had she left? Trista had hinted that perhaps she had escaped an eternity in Hell, but if that was the case, why wasn't she here to help them with Chaos? He looked up at the moon. "Odango, where are you?" he asked softly. "Can't you give me a sign, tell me that you're safe?" He sighed, and kept walking, turning his eyes back to the pavement beneath his feet. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever see his beautiful shining star again.

"Damn it, where is she?" A girl's voice growled.

"Katherine, calm down. We'll find her."

"How can I calm down, Arriane! We both know that when Serena wanders off, she usually finds a way to get into trouble…"

Seiya looked up, and stopped in his tracks. Here was the person he'd been trying to find. Arriane was right there…along with the girl who'd helped them fight off Chaos' minions. And they were talking about Serena. Apparently, she'd gone missing, but she clearly wasn't in Hell.

"Katherine, you're making a scene!" Arriane hissed, and then she noticed Seiya. He walked towards the pair. Arriane's annoyed expression became worried, and she gave Katherine a nudge. Katherine looked, and her facial expression flipped from horrified realization, through various expressions of discomfort, finally ending in a somewhat sheepish expression until she managed to restore her poker face.

"Seiya. It's been a long time since I've seen you," Arriane said pleasantly, regaining her composure. "I trust that things are quiet."

"Actually, no. Everyone's memories were tampered with for some reason, and I've only just remembered the actual state of things, along with Trista. No one else can remember, and Serena has gone missing." Seiya barely managed to keep his voice even. He watched the two carefully. Katherine shifted guiltily and looked at the pavement, while Arriane's eyes shifted slightly to Katherine. Yeah, something fishy was going on. "Do you know where she is?"

"She managed to escape Hell," Arriane answered. "Last time I saw her, she was in my apartment, but she seems to have wandered off."

This was a relief, but it also made Seiya wonder exactly what was going on in his Odango's head. He was missing something here…Katherine was now visibly uncomfortable and doing a shitty job of hiding it, he noted. "Is she all right?" he asked. "I've been so worried…"

"She's fine," Katherine answered, too quickly. Then, she thought, 'Whoa, my lying skills are in need of some major work.'

Seiya raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why hasn't she rejoined us, then? We need her help. Chaos is back." His mind was racing, trying to come up with an explanation. It was beginning to look like Serena was either in trouble and didn't want people to know about it, or that she was hiding from them.

Strangely, neither of the two seemed very surprised. "Really?" Katherine asked. "I'll have to tell her."

That did it. "Look. I know that both of you know where she is and what's going on. So cut the crap and just tell me."

"She was trying to protect you," Katherine managed. "But it went seriously wrong. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, and nobody counted on Chaos coming back…"

"What went seriously wrong? And what was she trying to protect me from?"

Katherine wasn't listening, though, and kept going. "I mean, no one knew there were two of us, and then there's the whole split thing, and sharing bodies, and…"

This was getting confusing. "Start at the beginning," Seiya said, raising his voice a little. "What went wrong?"

Arriane smiled faintly, and said, "Come with us. There's a lot that needs to be cleared up. But I should warn you; it's rather…strange."

Seiya followed the two back to the apartment, and sat down when asked. The whole time, he was wondering exactly what his Odango had been up to. Katherine seemed to know Serena well…but he'd never heard Serena mention her. Furthermore, it was clear that his Odango had managed to make some type of mess for herself…again. He couldn't help but feel exasperated. When would she learn that it was better to just ask for help instead of taking everything on by herself? Arriane sat down, too, and Katherine joined them.

"I suppose it would be best if I started at the beginning," Arriane stated. "But, since Katherine knows more about it than I, she would be the best person to ask. Katherine?"

Katherine asked, in her British accent, "Must I?" She sounded slightly like Serena. The girl sighed. "Very well. But I ought to warn you; it will sound barking mad. Serena and I started out as the same person. But actually, we were two separate souls that got placed in the same body. It was some sort of weird mistake or something, I think. But the point is, we were merged for a long time. Then, when Malos appeared again, we started to separate. Serena didn't know about it until the morning after Malos' minions attacked the house. I spoke to her then. You see, Serena is herself; Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, whatever. But I'm the Nephilim of the prophecy. We were two extremely different people sharing a body. Are you lost yet?"

Seiya felt like his head was about to explode. He'd seen a ton of strange things, but this…he'd never considered this idea. So far, he understood that that Serena had been co-existing in the same body with another person. Apparently, Serena had never been in danger of being trapped in Hell. That was a relief, but he was also somewhat unnerved. He could understand now why his Odango had seemed so unlike herself at times, when she'd seemed to become a different person. Most of all, he could see why she hadn't told him. He loved her and knew she would never lie, but this story would have convinced anyone that she was bonkers. But considering how serious both Arriane and Katherine looked… Seiya answered that he was following her.

Katherine continued, stood, and began to pace; "Serena was the pacifist. I was the one who was all for kicking Malos' arse straight back to Hell. I was the one who managed to beat information out of Malos' goons when he kidnapped you. Serena just took a step back and let me handle it. That was how we functioned; I was the ass-kicker, and she was the healing and forgiving one. We split our duties; she dealt with you Scouts, and I did the fighting and cussed like a drunken sailor. That was where her mouth came from. But anyway, we knew we would have to split up eventually; otherwise, neither of us would be able to completely fulfill our destinies. Naturally, things got steadily more complicated. It got bad after we saved you from Malos. You do remember when she got stabbed, right?"

Seiya remembered, and recalled how his Odango had started to literally waste away before his eyes. The memory still caused him to wince in pain. That was all Katherine needed.

"Right. That wasn't meant to kill. It was an effort to forcibly kick Serena out of our body. You see, dear old Helldaddy decided that Serena was the reason I wouldn't open up the gates of Hell and let him out. He was too stupid to realize that both of us were in complete agreement. So, he had Malos try to split us up before he sent him to oblivion. Serena started to fade out…and I did everything I could to make things easier. The power of that blade was like an evil, magical version of cancer. The only way she could slow it down was when she remembered who she had to live for. But in the end, she couldn't hold on. She was just too tired…but then you came, and gave her a spark of strength. She was afraid to tell you exactly what was going on because she knew you'd get hurt trying to save her. But then we both had a nightmare. Lucifer showed up and told us he was about to rise. We had to stop him. But Serena didn't want to risk losing you if you tried to stop her. Furthermore, she planned to save me from eternal torment. And I was stupid enough to go along with it. Or selfish enough. So we went through that last day, and she kissed you goodbye. We weren't sure if the plan would work."

Seiya was thinking back on everything Serena had said and done, was seeing the double meaning behind her words, understood the finality in that final kiss. What had she done? He was almost afraid to find out. "What did she do?" he asked softly.

"First, she erased all memories of her existence from your minds. Believe me, it was for your own good. Then, she…she broke the Silver Crystal into two pieces. She kept a shard for herself and gave the rest to me. Then, we went to confront Lucifer. He split us up, but Serena managed to hold on even when she got kicked out of our body. That was when we knew we would win. To seal Hell, I had to open it again. If she hadn't given me part of the Crystal, I wouldn't have survived. But I did. The reason we had to keep everyone away was because when Hell opened, a vortex was created. Serena didn't want to risk having you or anyone else get sucked in and be doomed to eternal suffering. I opened Hell, and then closed it, resealing it. I also sealed myself in. The Crystal helped me get back."

Oh, great… 'Odango, you've created quite a mess for yourself,' Seiya thought. She'd split her Starseed, and it would be extremely hard, if not impossible, to reunite the two pieces. But then, what had he expected? He should have known that Serena wouldn't allow someone to suffer. But still, what she'd done…it was madness. But there was still something missing. "What happened to Serena? You were in Hell, but where was she?"

"She became a specter," Arriane explained. "Or as some would say, a ghost. I found her wandering near a lake. She was miserable, and I offered her a chance to end her self-imposed exile. She took it. Katherine returned shortly after."

"So she's dead?" Seiya's voice was too even, too calm. But his heart was twisting painfully in his chest.

"No. But she will be if we don't reunite the pieces of the Crystal soon."

"Where is the other piece, then?"

Katherine turned red. "Well, you see…I was temporarily held prisoner by Lucifer. I had to hide the piece of the Silver Crystal, but there weren't many options. So I…I sw…I may have…swallowed it."

"You swallowed it."

"Yes." Katherine's voice squeaked.

"You mean to tell me that Serena's sole chance for salvation is floating around somewhere in your digestive tract."

"Uh-huh…"

Seiya closed his eyes and resisted the urge to punch something. He also felt an intense surge or irritation at his angel. Why did she have to make things so damn hard? Why had she done something so foolish? He wanted to strangle her, and then he felt ashamed of himself. He should be trying to help her, not be angry at her. That could wait. "Where is she now?"

"We don't know…" Katherine paused, staring at the doorway, her face stricken. The girl's skin turned white, and she went still as a statue. Arriane followed her gaze, and she too froze, with the same look of horror. Seiya turned, and looked. But nothing was there. He looked back at the two in confusion.

"Serena…" Katherine whispered. She stood and walked to the doorway, which still remained void of any human presence.

"Use your instincts," Arriane murmured softly. "Your instincts as a Starlight give you enhanced senses. Use them." Her eyes were fixed on the doorway.

Seiya obeyed, still not sure what was going on. He called upon the power that lay in him, and closed his eyes. When he felt that it was time to open them again, he did so, and realized why Katherine and Arriane looked so stricken. Serena was in the doorway, insubstantial and formed from pieces of mist and light. But her vibrancy was gone, and her eyes were blank. Her skin was void of color, and her face was unnaturally expressionless. It was like she'd gone catatonic, and from the way she trembled, was trapped in some sort of nightmare.

The raven-haired boy was on his feet, and walked over to her. Katherine was frozen by some indeterminable emotion. Seiya raised a hand to lightly stroke her face, and his hand passed right through her. In that instant, he realized exactly what Serena had sentenced herself to. She was caught between two worlds, and unable to alter the course of events. Seiya was solid, but he couldn't do anything to pull her out of this state. Tears started to rise, but he pushed them down. "Odango…" he murmured. He had to stop himself from reaching out again. He could feel her pain, but he couldn't hold her or kiss her. And he hated that. "O-Odango…Please. Don't do this." What had hurt her like this?

Katherine touched the blonde's shoulder, and Serena stirred slightly. Seiya felt envious. Why couldn't he do that? "Sere," Katherine murmured. "Snap out of it. I know this is hard, but you have to hang in there."

It was like some sort of spell had broken. Serena sank down, and Seiya felt a stab of panic. He tried to touch her again, and once more, his hand passed through. Arriane joined them, and placed a hand on the girl's temple. She then turned to Seiya. "It's just shock," she told him. "You walked through her earlier today, and it was a shock to her system. She should be all right."

"Why didn't I see her?"

"Most can't, unless they're actually looking. You weren't. She'll be fine."

"Why is she like this?"

"I'm not sure; usually ghosts are just shaken, but she's practically in a coma. I'll take care of her. You need to get back. People will be missing you."

"Can I come back to check on her?"

"Certainly."

Seiya left then, shaken and slightly disturbed by what he'd just seen. As well, he felt a sense of forboding. Something was wrong.


	15. Part Fourteen: Out of Dark Water

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Fourteen: Out of Dark Water**

_It was so dark…and silent. That was what scared her the most. Not the darkness, but the silence. It was that of a tomb…Serena shuddered. Why couldn't she wake up from this nightmare? Softly, as though from far away, an angel's voice whispered a pet name she had begun to think she would never hear again. That angel was Seiya…but how did he know she was here? He wasn't supposed to know… It was official. She was losing her hold on sanity. She wasn't in that dark void anymore, but she was still trapped in one of the darker parts of her mind. She wasn't in that hellish place, trapped in an attic with Uziel Schneider as her only visitor, but it was a frightening place to be nonetheless. She felt a coldness flow through her insubstantial form as someone tried to touch her. It made her shudder._

_ Katherine's light suddenly broke through the suffocating water of the darkness that held her captive. Serena knew she would be in for it if she ever managed to come back to herself again. She could feel Katherine's anger, as well as something else…fear. Why was Kat scared? Serena didn't have time to think on it…the dark water receded, and a gentle, warm glow surrounded her. The light lifted her out of the dark, cold water that had held her for so long…and then all she could see was blue, the color of Seiya's eyes…_

**†****†****†****†****†**

"…out for a long time. What's wrong with her?" Katherine's voice was anxious. Serena wondered where she was. Normally, she woke up in a graveyard after she had her blackouts. And why was it so dark? The blonde realized she still had her eyes closed. Common sense told her she should open them, but her eyelids felt heavy, so she kept them closed, waiting for the heaviness to pass. Besides that feeling, she felt nothing else. There was no pain, no cold, no heat. Which was a relief, because she'd been drowning for…well, she didn't know exactly how long. For all she knew, it could have been days.

"She'll be all right…I think. I'm not sure what's wrong. I've never seen anything like this."

"Is it possible for ghosts to go into comas?"

"It's not supposed to be. But then, considering Serena's case, I think that the normal rules might not apply. All we can do is hope that she awakens soon."

"She'd better! She's been out for five days, and Seiya is driving me bonkers, always asking if Serena's awake yet…" Katherine was doing her best to sound annoyed, but she actually sounded more worried than anything. And Seiya knew what was going on? How?

Serena opened her eyes, and light streamed into them. The blonde raised a hand to shield them with a faint squeak. Katherine turned. When she saw that Serena was finally conscious, she exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" she screeched.

Arriane put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Calm down, Katherine. Shouting the roof down around our ears won't help."

Katherine swore for several seconds, but seemed to simmer down slightly. Serena racked her brain for something to say, but found that the truth was demanding to be given a voice. The blonde sighed. She just hoped the repercussions wouldn't be too bad. Then, she remembered Seiya. "You said something about Seiya earlier…he knows?"

"Yeah. You scared the shit out of us! And he's been driving me crazy, asking how you are."

"You mean he doesn't hate me?"Seiya should hate her for what she'd done…but if he hated her, why was he worried about her?

"No, he doesn't hate you," Katherine answered. "But seriously, what happened? You went comatose on us!"

"I don't know…I just blacked out…and it's getting worse."

Arriane's eyes flashed with realization. "You mean this has been going on for some time?" The Fallen angel was clearly concerned. Katherine looked pissed. Serena recoiled at the look on her friend's face.

"When did this start?" Katherine's voice was dangerously calm.

"A few months ago," Serena admitted.

"Did anything else happen?"

"Um…an angel named Andrew showed up…"

"Did he mention by any chance that he was an angel of death?" Arriane inquired.

Serena swallowed. "Uh-huh…"

"We need to act quickly, then." Arriane started to pace, and Katherine was looking between the two, frantically trying to decide if she wanted to strangle Serena for not telling her this or find a way out of this situation. Serena was simply staring down at her transparent feet. A knock sounded on the door, and Katherine used her powers to check who it was. Seiya…again.

"Seiya's out there. Should I let him in?"

Serena gulped, and glanced at Arriane. Arriane, with an unusually stern tone, told her; "He's worried about you. Furthermore, you both need to discuss some things." She turned to Katherine. "Let him in." Katherine obeyed.

†**†****Ѣ¥****†****Ѣ¥****†****Ѣ¥****†**

Seiya was pretty sure he was going insane. Scratch that…he was positive that he was going insane. He couldn't stop thinking about his angel. She had looked so broken…so utterly shattered. He hoped she was okay. He'd been doing his best to keep his agonized worry to himself, but was certain that Yaten could tell anyway. He'd also been trying to come to terms with what he'd learned. Serena had done something that was in defiance of pretty much every universal law in existence. You weren't supposed to cheat death, fight Fate, or split your Starseed. And in one way or another, she'd done all of the above.

Taiki and Yaten were both staring at him, and Kakyuu-hime was frowning slightly in concern. The dark-haired boy quietly slipped out when they weren't looking. He had to check on his angel again. But she'd been in a coma-like state for almost a week…what if she never woke up? 'Calm down, Seiya,' he told himself. 'She'll get through this…she's strong enough…' He found himself at Arriane's door again and knocked. In a few seconds, Katherine had opened the door. The Nephilim looked like she was about to have a hissy fit, but she seemed to swallow it and informed him; "She's awake."


	16. Part Fifteen: HearttoHeart

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Fifteen: Heart-to-Heart**

**AN: **Sorry it's been so long. I'm trying to balance Chemistry, Geometry, Speech, and History as well as my social life. Aagh, when am I ever going to need to know how to figure out how many atoms are in fifty grams of gold?

Serena found herself going weak in the knees with anxiety as soon as Seiya walked in. Just seeing his face robbed her of coherent thought, and she found it impossible to form a complete sentence. Seiya apparently couldn't really find words to say, either, so they just stood there and stared at each other for several long, drawn out minutes. Finally, Serena managed to get half of a word to come out before she realized that he might not be able to hear her. "Wh-?" she began, but stopped. Seiya just looked at her, and she felt a major case of incoherent babbling coming on. She tried to stop it, but it came out anyway. Arriane and Katherine left the two alone.

"Please don't hate me," she began, and it got extremely incoherent from there. "I had to, and it was so complicated…I couldn't let her hang out to dry…" and then she was completely incomprehensible. Vaguely, she wondered why, because it didn't look like Seiya heard her. The bottled up feelings of depression and loneliness, as well as fear of him hating her, combined with her overwhelming feelings of helplessness, rose up from her gut and crashed down on her, causing tears that she wouldn't be able to shed to fill her eyes. Seiya hated her.

Seiya watched Serena stumble over her words, trying to sort out how he felt. She looked better than she had, and there was still some of her old vibrancy to her, and that relieved him, but he also wanted to shake her and get her to see sense. Did she have any idea what kind of danger she'd put herself in? What had she been thinking? He was wrestling with anger and a desire to try and take her in his arms, despite her current transparent state. Vaguely, he could hear her trying to explain, but she was so agitated that she wasn't really making sense. Then, he heard sobs, and that stopped all intrapersonal communication. He looked at her, and she was sobbing tearlessly. Why was it that seeing her cry still had the power to make his heart break into a million pieces? He'd seen her tears, but somehow, seeing this lack of tears and still hearing heart-rending sobs was worse. He crossed the room to her in an instant, and put his arms around her, forgetting that he couldn't really hold her anymore.

"Shh…I don't hate you, Odango," he whispered soothingly. "I could never hate you. You drive me crazy sometimes, but I will always love you."

Serena looked up at him, tears still in her eyes, but she was quiet. "You don't hate me because I'm stupid?"

"You aren't stupid," he told her. "You've made a few bad decisions, but everyone does at some point." Off-handedly, he probably realized that last statement had been the understatement of the century.

Serena seemed to realize this, because she replied, "More like several awful decisions in a row that just make things even worse."

"But we'll find a way to fix this," he assured her. 'Not sure how, though,' he thought, but kept his mouth shut.

"So I heard Kat and Arriane told you what was going on."

"Yeah, they did."

"Do you know why we haven't gotten me back to normal yet?" Serena looked at him, trying to see exactly how many of the details he'd learned.

"The other piece of your Starseed is somewhere in Katherine's digestive tract."

"Wow…Kat told you that?"

"Mm-hmm…and she also told me why you messed with everyone's memories."

"I know it's a lousy excuse, but it seemed like the only way, and I didn't want to risk losing you…"

"I understand your reasoning, but I'm starting to see a pattern, and we need to talk about it. It seems to me that you always seem to be getting in trouble by trying to protect me and everyone else. Haven't you ever considered switching roles…letting _us_ protect _you_?"

"I don't like being helpless," Serena mumbled. "I hate just standing around letting everyone else get hurt trying to keep me safe. I want to _do _something. I don't want to be the weak link. I don't want to be stuck like I was when Uziel Schneider came along…" she stopped, and mentally kicked herself. She had almost revealed exactly how much that terrible time had affected her.

"Odango, I need you to be honest with me." Seiya's voice was quiet and level. He was sick with fear inside, though. That particular incident had apparently had a deeper effect on her than he'd initially thought. What was she hiding? "Did that bastard do anything to hurt you?"

"He never raped me or anything. Just tried to force me to marry him." Serena forced herself not to say more. She tried to be nonchalant about it.

Seiya looked at her closely. She wasn't lying, but she was holding something back. He'd had plenty of time to think about her and her mannerisms when he thought he would never see her again. He'd tried to memorize every detail of her face, the exact color of her eyes, and the meaning of every move she made. He'd realized that when she was telling the truth, but withholding details, she would lace her fingers together and look down. When she was lying, she would give an almost imperceptible cringe as her conscience rebuked her. Right now, she had laced her fingers together. She was just keeping extra information from him.

"How bad was it?" he asked. "I mean, you must have been lonely."

"It was okay," Serena answered, and Seiya saw the slightest cringe. She was lying.

"Don't lie to me, please," he murmured. "I can't help you if you lie."

Serena sighed. Seiya had somehow learned how to detect when she was using her various methods of hiding information. He was good. And there was no point in lying anymore. "Okay…it was torture. For the first few months, I couldn't stop thinking about you, and kept praying that one day I'd wake up and find it was all a horrible dream. I would wake up from a dream where I was running through the mists looking for something, and I would reach for your arm." Serena paused for a minute. "But you were never there. But it wasn't always you I was reaching for. Sometimes it was Amara, or Rae, Trista once. I reached for everyone at least once. But when I woke up, no one was ever there." There was a hint of deep desolation in the blonde's voice, and Seiya once again kicked himself for not finding her sooner. For giving up on her. He thought about the way they had all assumed she'd left, and felt sick.

"I kept thinking, 'Someday, they'll come and find me. Someday, they'll get me out of here. They'd never abandon me.' But you guys never came. I waited for almost a year, but you never showed up. Then, I just…kind of gave up. I started thinking that maybe no one cared, never had. I tried to convince myself that _I _didn't care, but I couldn't stop thinking about coming home, leaving that attic…I would have sold my soul to get out of there. A few times, I thought about just finding something sharp and slitting a few major veins and just ending it. But I never could. Every time I tried to make myself do it, I thought, 'This would hurt Seiya. This would hurt everyone.' Even when I remembered that I was still stuck, I couldn't stop thinking that maybe, even if you all had abandoned me, maybe it would still hurt if you felt me die. Don't you, Taiki, and Yaten feel it when a star goes out? I couldn't do it. If there was a chance that I could hurt you, I could not do it. Near the end, when Uziel talked about marrying me, I swore to God that it would be over my dead body. And that was when I just decided to let go…just will myself to die."

Her voice broke. "And when I thought it was over, you guys came. At first, I thought I had finally gone off the deep end, but you were there! I would have started crying, but I realized I probably wouldn't be able to stop. So I just swallowed my tears and tried to be okay. It was easy at first, but it still took me forever to fully convince myself I wasn't hallucinating, that I wasn't trapped anymore."

"Oh, Odango…" Seiya wanted to cry. He'd never realized how deeply Serena felt things, until now. And now that she was standing there, baring her soul to him, it was painfully obvious that what had hurt her the most was the feeling of abandonment and worthlessness she must have felt.

"And I couldn't even get myself out of it," she continued bitterly. "I was being held prisoner by an old man who might have been some maniac in disguise and turned out to be a serial killer. A few runes written on the floor, and I was helpless." As soon as I was out of there, I swore I wouldn't let that happen to me again. She half laughed, half sobbed. "But I did!"

"And then I thought, 'Maybe this is why they left me. Because I'm a liability, a wimp.'"

Seiya's heart twisted in anguish. "You're no wimp, Odango," he told her. And, rather heatedly, continued; "And if you seriously think that, then I need to give you a reality check."

"I couldn't beat an old man and escape from his attic. That's pathetic."

"Need I remind you that he was a Nephilim who could have easily vaporized any one of us? Or have you forgotten that? Do I need to remind you that you faced down Chaos and saved the most powerful Sailor Senshi in the galaxy from being completely destroyed? And let's not forget how you've managed to make it possible for people with completely opposing personalities to be in the same room together without killing each other; better yet, making them practically as close as family! If that isn't a sign of strength to you, then I don't know you at all."

The ghost of a smile crossed her face. "You're right. I guess I forgot."

Seiya softened. "I'm sorry I was harsh, but I never want to hear you insult yourself like that again. It drives me crazy when you don't see exactly how special you are."

Serena rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Seiya. I guess wandering around for several months moping has had some bad effects on my self-image. Heck, I guess it started before that, even."

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"You guys were stumbling all over each other from relief, and I knew you all felt bad for keeping me waiting for so long. I just felt like you all needed me to be okay. And I knew you guys felt rotten about the whole thing. So I made myself be okay."

"You don't have to hide everything, you know. You're allowed to be not okay if that's how you want to be. You don't need to force yourself to be okay for the rest of our sakes."

"Yes, I do. If I don't, then everyone's unhappy, and I don't want that."

"Not for me. I love your light, but I don't want you to wear yourself out shining when you feel like screaming inside. Don't you know that you can talk to me about this stuff? I want to be able to help you through things like this, so problems like these don't start."

"I do now."

"You don't need to wear a mask for me, and honestly, I think if you told everyone else, they'd agree."

"Most of them don't even remember me."

"But they will. What then?"

"I don't know."

"We'll find a way to fix this," he told her. "Then, I'll probably be able to do more than talk and sound like Dr. Phil."

"You don't sound like Dr. Phil. You're better than that."

Seiya smiled, and lightly stroked her face, forgetting once again about Serena's present state. "Does it hurt?" he asked. "When my hand passes through you?"

"No. I don't even feel it. I don't feel much of anything, really. At least, not physically. I guess that's why I'm such a downer right now. I can't feel anything physical, so my emotions have to do it, and since I can't even have a good cry, they just get bottled up."

"You can't cry?"

"I can sob, but even though I get tears in my eyes, because they're transparent, they can't come out."

"I'll find a way out of this for you," he promised. "You won't stay like this forever."


	17. Part Sixteen: Dose of Catastrophe

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Sixteen: Seeds of Discord, Beginnings of a Catastrophe**

**AN: **Ugh…just finished reading Emerson. The guy makes some good points, but he convolutes everything with flowery language. He's almost worse than Shakespeare. I might have to change the title in the table of contents for this chapter, because there is no way I can squeeze the whole thing in.

Millicent was tense, extremely so. She was about to try and start what would probably be one of the worst feuds ever to occur among the Sol Senshi and those meddling Starlights. As much as she loved sowing seeds of discord and stirring up trouble, she knew that if she were to get caught, she would end up _very_, VERY dead. She forced herself to relax. If she didn't, the plan would automatically fail. That was the first lesson she'd ever learned. For this particular mission, she had observed them all carefully and concluded that trying to impersonate one of the Senshi was far too large a gamble. So she opted to take the form of a woodland creature and just carefully plant seeds of anger and malcontent in everyone's minds.

The harbinger of malcontent and discord concentrated, and took the shape of a robin. Natural enough in the early fall, she thought. Everyone was conveniently in the same place, and Millicent smiled with pleasure. This was going to be so easy…and highly entertaining. Hmm…it looked like they were having a meeting. She inched closer to Sailor Star Healer, and slowly, carefully, wormed her way into the silver-haired woman's mind. It was surprisingly easy to do. Perhaps because everyone was so frustrated about the lost Princess of the White Moon? Either way, it was easy. She worked her way through each of their minds, and then tiptoed away. Before long, the sounds of arguing and fighting could be heard, and she knew her job was done.

**¥Ѣ****¥Ѣ****¥Ѣ****¥Ѣ**

Serena knew she was about to sink into the darkness again…she'd realized that just before she had a blackout, she felt a strange fog close over her mind. And that was exactly what was happening now. Oh, no…not here…not now… she felt a surge of anguish. She knew she would probably disappear, and it would scare the living daylights out of both Kat and Arriane. She tried to fight it; who knew when she would wake up? But it just got worse. Arriane and Katherine were engrossed in a news report describing strange disappearances. Serena tried to speak, get their attention, but couldn't.

This was worse than the others, the blonde realized, feeling a surge of panic. It had never taken her this long to pass out before. Was the universe punishing her now, for trying to cheat death and defy Fate? She didn't have time to think on this, because dark water crashed down on her in waves, and she once again sank into a dark world of nightmares.

_It was pitch black, and silence reigned. The drowning had only lasted for a short time, she knew, but it had still seemed long. Now, she was surrounded by nothingness. In a way, it was worse than drowning. It was so still and silent that she felt as though she might go stark-raving mad. And she was so, so tired…was this the end? That thought jerked her back to her senses. She couldn't fade out, not now. She struggled against the oppressive darkness. Chaos was back, and she was needed. _

_ The water rose up again, and forced itself into her lungs. The blazing inferno formed from water had started again._

**Ѣ****Ѣ****Ѣ****Ѣ****Ѣ**

**Location Unknown, Time Unknown**

Chaos was becoming ever more frustrated. Granted, she could feel the discord Millicent was stirring up, but it irked her that Sailor Moon still hadn't shown up. That damned light, the darling of all that was nauseatingly good. If only she could find that little twit and get rid of her, she could relax a little. The girl had a great deal of power, but she also had no fighting skills whatsoever. If she could get her alone, it would be incredibly easy to rid herself of that nuisance.

"It seems we have the same problem," a man's voice murmured musingly from her left.

Chaos jumped, her eyes searching the corners. "Show yourself!" she ordered.

"But of course." Lucifer stepped out of the shadows, and Chaos almost let out a squeak. Lucifer was far more powerful than she, and could crush her with but a thought. He, after all, was the true source of all evil, and virtually indestructible. He smiled in amusement at her sudden burst of terror, and his dark eyes took on a reddish gleam. "Relax, my dear. You're in no danger. I was rather hoping that we could work together."

"Y-you're supposed to be sealed away i-in Hell!" Chaos cursed herself for stammering. But then, those eyes…

Lucifer threw back his head and laughed. "Technically, yes, I am locked away. But as long as at least one person in the universe entertains evil thoughts, I can still tamper with things and cause trouble for the creations of our friend upstairs. I certainly can't force my way out and, say, create a vortex that will bring eternal suffering to everyone in the universe, but I _can_ do a little whispering and cause a little mess like Jack the Ripper."

Chaos just nodded, still trying to come to terms with this new development. Finally, she collected herself. "You say that you can help me find that moon twit and kill her?"

"Of course. I should have seen it sooner, of course, but I allowed myself to be distracted by something less crucial. You see, Serenity has separated herself from my daughter. Yes," he continued, seeing the look of utter shock on Chaos' face. "The meddling Nephilim you met is my daughter. Somehow, she and Serenity ended up sharing a body. But now, due to some mad and incredibly poorly-thought-out plan, Serenity is little more than a specter, and my daughter still desperately needs to be cut into shape. Working together, I think we can both get what we want. You help me recapture my daughter, and I will help you make sure that Serenity dies…permanently. There will be no rebirth for her this time."

Chaos thought quickly. She wasn't particularly sure this was something she wanted to get into. On one hand, it was an opportunity to get one extremely powerful ally. But on the other hand, if she displeased him, she could be killed. But still…how could she pass this up? She smiled. "I think we have a deal."

Lucifer's smile widened. "Excellent."

†**ж¥****†****ж¥****†****ж¥****†****ж¥****†****ж¥****†**

**Starlights' Residence, Late Evening**

Princess Kakyuu sighed. Seiya, Taiki and Yaten were no longer speaking to one another, and a huge rift had developed between the Inners and Outers. She still wasn't entirely sure exactly how it had happened. They had been discussing how to defeat Chaos one minute, and then, the next thing she knew, Fighter and Healer were trying to kill each other, Mars and Mercury were screaming at one another, Uranus was trying to flatten Jupiter for no apparent reason, and it was just an awful mess. It had taken her forever to make herself heard above the dreadful racket, and even longer to restore some semblance of order. But things were still tense, and Kakyuu feared what it could mean for the future of the universe. If only Serenity-hime were here…

The Fireball Princess quietly slipped out, disguised herself, and went out for a walk, trying to think of a way out of this situation. In desperation, she felt for the bright shine of the Princess of the White Moon. Great was her delight when she caught a glimmer of her presence. It was in a graveyard…what was Serenity-hime doing there? She entered, looking for the blonde who might be able to restore the peace, and would save them all from Chaos once again. She found the location, but Serenity-hime was nowhere to be seen. Yet her presence was here…Kakyuu concentrated, searching again, this time with a higher awareness that could sense the spirit world.

The redhead gasped in shock when she saw that the Moon Princess was lying near a headstone, curled into a fetal position and sobbing tearlessly. Her chagrin grew, however, when she realized that the blonde had somehow become a ghost. Clearly, she was in some sort of distress. But what could she do? Kakyuu then recalled how she could pull her Starlights out of their nightmares by reaching into their minds, and she did so now with Serenity. When she entered the nightmare, she learned why the blonde was so distressed. The girl in question was struggling against the current that held her captive, and Kakyuu approached. She took her hand, and pulled. The next moment, they were both back in the graveyard. The blonde opened her eyes, and looked around, her face displaying an expression of long-suffering.

"Not again," the girl moaned. Then, she saw Kakyuu."Kakyuu-hime! H-how-?"

"I was looking for you," the Fireball Princess replied gently. "And please, call me Kakyuu. Now, Tsukino-san, what exactly has happened?"

"Just call me Serena," the blonde began, standing. "And as for why things are so messed up…well, I hope you have a lot of time, because it's a _long_ story."

"I have plenty of time…Serena. You are clearly in some type of distress; perhaps if I know, I can help."

"The gods know I need it," Serena sighed. And then, she told Kakyuu everything, starting at the beginning. She tried to keep her thoughts organized and concise, and tell things in chronological order, so as not to confuse the redhead. She knew the story was plenty confusing on its own, so she tried not to convolute things even further. She managed to get through it, and looked at the Fireball Princess, half-expecting her to declare that she was insane.

Instead, Kakyuu seemed thoughtful. Finally, she said; "I must say, Serena, that you have managed to create quite the mess for yourself, though I can see why you made the choices you did. There is a way to reunite the pieces of your Starseed, though it will be difficult, and I cannot guarantee that it will work."

"I'm willing to try anything!"

"It is somewhat complicated, but it is do-able. As a specter, you can enter various realms that are barred to those who are bound to flesh-and-blood forms. You will need to experiment with them, but you will eventually find the consciousness of your Silver Crystal. Once you do that, it will leave Katherine's body, and hopefully rejoin with your piece."

"How come Arriane doesn't know that?"

"I am afraid I know little about Fallen angels, but I am inclined to believe that, as a rule, the Fallen are in disgrace, and therefore, they do not know about the realms I spoke of. Or they have been made to forget. You see, according to how my mother explained it to me, a Fallen angel may help a specter learn to acclimate, but they are not permitted to force spirits to cross over, and if they knew about the realms, it would upset the balance."

"Wow…how do you know all this?"

"On Kinmoku, it is necessary. There are several Senshi who guard my kingdom, and what with all of the reincarnation that comes of having Senshi, it is best to know how to help lost souls cross over, or it could create some problems, such as two different souls sharing a body."

"Whoa…thank you, Kakyuu. At least I have an idea about what to do now."

"I am glad I could help. We all need you now. Your Senshi are drifting apart."

"What? How?"

"I don't really know…one moment, they were all getting along, the next, discord is all there is."

"I'd better start exploring those spectral realms, then. Are Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten all right?"

"They're not speaking," Kakyuu said sadly."

"Oh, no…"

"Furthermore, Chaos' underlings have already begun to attack. If they are still fighting each other, someone could get hurt!"

"I'll get moving, then. Why don't you try to at least get the Starlights to patch things up, and at least plant the idea in the others' heads."

"I will try. And Serena, be careful."

"I will."

"You won't get the chance," a man's voice stated silkily, and Serena let out a frightened squeak.

Lucifer entered the scene, and Kakyuu looked at Serena.

+Kakyuu, my friend? Run,+ Serena ordered mentally.

+But what about you?+

+I'll just find a way to disappear. Go.+

Kakyuu hesitated, but luckily for her, Lucifer was too focused on Serena to notice her. Serena shouted at her telepathically to move it, and Kakyuu obeyed, praying that Serena would be all right.

"You're one annoying pain in the ass, you know that?" Serena snapped.

"I could call you a nuisance myself, Serenity," Lucifer returned.

"Oh, go shag Lilith or whatever it is you do." 'Wait, did I just refer to Jewish lore?' Serena thought.

"I'm afraid your time is up, O Princess of the White Moon."

"You can try."


	18. Part Seventeen: Preliator

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Seventeen: Preliator**

**AN: **Okay, Minna-san, this chapter might get long pretty quickly, and may well be the most bizarre thing ever to end up being saved to my hard drive. The title will make more sense when you read it. Enjoy.

Serena made sure that Kakyuu was out of Lucifer's view, and then, after a quick interlude of feeble banter, she took off, running quite literally for her life. She willed herself into another realm, and kept moving, trying to lose her enemy. But to her horror, Lucifer managed to follow her there. 'Must be a Hell King thing,' she thought briefly, and then her common sense told her to shut up about insignificant things and _focus_ for the love of God! She kept moving, first into this realm and then to the next. But no matter how hard she tried, the blonde could not lose him. He was somehow able to track her.

"Fuck," she muttered, and crossed into a different realm. "Looks like I'm on my own for now. I wish Kat was here."

"You can't run from me forever, Serenity!"

"Watch me!" she yelled, and disappeared into yet another realm. For the first time in a long time, she actually found herself feeling an urge to actually take a breath. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, but her survival depended on whether or not she could do just that. 'Please, God, I know I haven't necessarily been very religious and into praying and all that, but I could really use some help here,' she thought. 'I hope Kakyuu's safe.'

**§†****¥ж****†****¥ж****†****¥ж****†****¥ж****†§**

The Fireball Princess had indeed made it back safely. She feared for the Moon Princess, but something told her that the blonde would be all right. She didn't know how she knew, but there was this feeling that let her know that Serena would come out of this okay. The redhead entered the apartment, cringing as she heard her Starlights arguing. How, by all the stars in the galaxy, had things gotten this bad? Well, she had to put a stop to it and get them to see sense. She entered the room, and stood quietly, testing exactly how deep into their argument they'd sunk. None of them noticed her presence, which set off some warning bells. This was going to get ugly really quickly…

As if to punctuate that final thought, Seiya punched Taiki, and Yaten took a swing at Seiya. That was all the encouragement Kakyuu needed. Delicately, the Fireball Princess cleared her throat. All three turned to look at her. Taiki at least had to the decency to look embarrassed. Seiya and Yaten, however, were just gearing up for a brawl. Yaten took another swing, and Kakyuu felt her temper rise to the point where she could not hold it in.

"_That is __**enough**__!"_

Taiki turned white, and Seiya's and Yaten's fists stopped mid-punch. All three turned to look at the Princess they had once served. Said Princess was standing there in the doorway, face perfectly calm, but eyes blazing with barely controlled temper. They all knew what it meant when she used that tone. It meant that they were in a great deal of trouble. None of them had seen Kakyuu this angry since the time Seiya had almost (accidentally, of course!) burned down the west wing of the palace (Long story, that.).

"This is ridiculous!" Kakyuu hissed. "What has gotten into you three? This behavior is not befitting to any of you, especially considering the current circumstances! Have you gone mad?"

"No, Princess," Seiya replied, looking down.

"No, Princess," Yaten answered.

Taiki responded in the same manner, and Kakyuu softened. "I know this is all very stressful, but fighting among ourselves is not the answer," she told them softly, sitting down.

The three also sat down, and Yaten looked around in confusion and unease. "I don't know what came over me," he said. "I just wanted to kick Seiya's butt for no reason. I wasn't provoked, but something just set me off…" He stopped, face becoming troubled.

Seiya was equally so. "You aren't the only one, Yaten. You remember how I tried to break Amara's face this afternoon? We were just starting to get along, and suddenly, I just wanted to punch her."

"It was the same with me, Seiya," Taiki murmured. "But I don't understand how it got to the point where we were trying to kill each other."

"I'm just glad Serena wasn't there…she would have been really upset. She hates it when people fight…" Yaten paused, getting an odd look on his face. Taiki had frozen, too. Seiya stood up, giving them some space. He had a strange feeling that his two comrades were about to remember.

'Yes…please, remember…' Kakyuu thought.

'I wonder how I'm going to explain the way things are to them,' Seiya mused.

**Ѣ****§†****§†****§†****§†****Ѣ**

"Damn it, where is she?" Katherine burst out in frustration.

"It's impossible to say," Arriane replied. "I wish I knew…" the Fallen was clearly worried; she was smoking, a sure sign of stress. "She's certainly having one of her 'nightmares', but we searched the graveyard already. Maybe she came out of it and she's back home waiting for us."

"I hope so…" Katherine murmured. "I sometimes want to kick her ass for being so ungodly thick when it comes to asking for help, but I couldn't stand it if anything happened to her." A lump formed in the Nephilim's throat. Her eyes hardened. "Chaos had better not be involved. The only one who's allowed to kick Serena's little ass is me!"

Arriane managed a weak smile. "She's probably quite all right. I think talking to Seiya did her a little good." She lit another cigarette.

"You know, those give you lung cancer."

"Who gives a damn? I'm a Fallen angel, and I'm still immortal. I can smoke as much as I want."

"I think somebody's getting a wee bit addicted to nicotine…"

"Do be quiet."

**ж¥Ѣ****¥Ѣ****¥Ѣ****¥Ѣ****¥ж**

Serena was cornered, and she didn't like the situation at all. Somehow, this seemed weirdly familiar. Memories of forgotten times swirled just beyond her grasp. Fat lot of good that did her. Lucifer was advancing, sword in hand. "Oh, God…" she whispered. She tried to back away, but her back was to the wall in the spirit realms. She couldn't just pass through things like she normally could. 'I'll never see Seiya again, or Katherine…Mom…' The blonde wanted to cry, but tears wouldn't come. Something else was rising in her, quickly erasing the fear. An urge to fight, a desire to vaporize this son-of-a-bitch that had her cornered.

A cold metal object appeared in her hand, and she felt a strange sensation in her back. Lucifer stopped, staring at whatever was in her hand. Serena looked, and discovered that a silver Khopesh sword was in her hand. That was a little odd…but what was really freaky was that she somehow knew by looking at it exactly how to use it. She faced Lucifer, feeling a surge of hatred as she looked at him. "Back off," she said coldly. "Or you'll regret it."

"A sword trick will not stop me from killing you."

"Oh, really?" Serena raised the sword, and it began to burn with white flames. Lucifer's jaw dropped, and the blonde looked at it with mild surprise, but found herself feeling strangely unperturbed. She advanced, and Lucifer regained his focus.

"Very well. I will fight you if you wish."

And so, the fight began. Lucifer struck first, but Serena blocked the blow and dodged his foot when it kicked out to trip her. 'How did I know he'd do that?' she thought. But the fight instinct that had come upon her called her attention back to the battle. Lucifer's brow furrowed slightly, and Serena redoubled her efforts to win this battle and escape with her life. They were nearing the edge of a cliff, and somehow, Serena knew something was about to happen, and sure enough, she was tumbling off of the cliff. The tingling sensation in her back was unbearable, and something was begging to be released.

'Fine, I'm done fighting,' she told the feeling, and she stopped falling, and rose back up to where Lucifer stood. When he saw her, his mouth fell open.

"Impossible," he gasped. "I killed you years ago."

Serena felt a rush of confusion, and looked over her shoulder. It was then that she received the shock of her life. Spread out on either side of her, white and shining, were _wings_. A rush of joy replaced the momentary shock, and a feeling of completeness filled her. She had always felt like something was missing, but now she felt so incredibly whole that it was unbelievable. She felt more confident, too, and she turned back to her enemy, who was still looking at her with a mix of shock and a little fear.

"I guess you're harder to kill than I thought, Preliator."

"Preliator?" Serena asked in confusion. Why did that name…or title…sound so familiar? Elusive memories danced just beyond her reach once again, and she found herself feeling slightly short of breath, and she knew something was wrong. She was _not_ supposed to be feeling out-of-breath right now. Black water swirled over her vision, and suddenly, she was back in her nightmares. And this time, it seemed as if they would never end.

_ It was different this time…the water did not drown her like it usually did. Instead, it cradled her, tenderly. Then, there was excruciating pain, and Lucifer's laughing face was a blurred in her suddenly weak vision. A warm wetness spread over her arms and ran down her legs. To her horror, she discovered it was blood. "Your time is up, Preliator," Lucifer sneered, stabbing her again. "And good riddance." Then, everything went dark, but the water continued to merely cradle her gently. Even so, it did not alleviate her fear. _

_ Suddenly, she stood in a throne room, before the Pharaoh. All around her, daemons disguised as humans watched her, smiling in triumph. There was no part of her body that did not ache, and her scant clothing was torn and dirty. Pharoah looked at her with cold eyes and sentence her to death. The sword pierced her heart before she even had a chance to take another breath. The darkness took her again, and more images swirled in her mind, several of them unknown to her, but still feeling oddly familiar, as though she had lived through all of these times at a certain point. _

_ Then, an all-too familiar location came up. She stood out on a balcony, looking over the Kingdom of the White Moon. Her mother, Queen Selenity, stood beside her, as peaceful and calm as ever. Serenity turned her eyes back to Earth, and felt a surge of concern as she saw darkness continue to sweep over it. If only her mother knew exactly how dreadful the situation on Earth was. But she could hardly tell her…Serenity was still having trouble believing it herself. How could such evil go unchecked for so long? It had been going on for centuries, even before she'd been born. How could Queen Selenity not know? She supposed it was for the same reason Endymion was unaware. It was because the darkness was so profound that only those who knew better could possibly be aware that the darkness even existed._

_ The scene shifted, and she was kneeling beside Endymion's lifeless body. Beryl, possessed by Malos, was laughing in triumph. There was only one way to end this…she called upon the powers of Enoch that lay inside her and released them, pressing a dagger to her chest. If this plan was to be successful, she would need to be brave. Besides, she would be back. She always came back. But her mother would be so sad…Serenity turned her thoughts away from that. This was what she'd been created to do, ever since the birth of time. She plunged the dagger in, and then darkness rushed over her once again. It was so familiar now…_

_ Once again, she lay in darkness. And this time, no dreams took her. She just remained in the dark water, and it was torture. Was she doomed to be trapped here for the rest of eternity? It seemed so…_

_ A gentle, soft voice sounded in her mind. +Gabriel…it is time. Come this way…+_

_ A soft, bright light shone in the distance, and Serena raced towards it, a sudden, unfathomable joy filling her at the sound of that loving voice. _

_ +Come, my sister. We haven't much time.+_

_ Serena raced into the light, and the darkness and water vanished._

She was bathed in love and glory, and she was looking into the face of a being so pure and glorious that she could not stop the tears from running down her cheeks. "Michael…" she murmured. Somehow, she knew this being's name. Michael was beautiful, with shining blue eyes that held the light of all the stars, and hair as dusky as the night sky. He knelt down and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Gabriel, sister, there is not much time. You must fight the darkness and keep the world from peril."

"I don't understand. Why are you calling me Gabriel?" And why did that name feel right somehow?

"You have forgotten who you are, and that is part of the problem," Michael spoke softly, his voice free of reproach, holding only love. "You are lost, because you failed to remember that you are never alone." His tone became sad. "Sister…Gabriel…you are the world's only hope. You are the Preliator, the left hand of the Creator, sworn to protect mankind against Lucifer's evil."

"Whaat?"

"Please, sister, listen to me. Or, if you cannot, listen to Raphael."

Another being of glory appeared, and Raphael made his presence known. He looked almost exactly like Michael, but for the fact that his eyes were as green as oak leaves, and she could see the light of all nature in them. Michael stood, but Serena remained in a kneeling position, trying to process exactly what she was seeing. Raphael advanced, and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "There was a time, sister, when you would greet me with as much insolence as you dared. Have you forgotten Michael and I so completely?"

Michael intervened. "Brother, our sister has been through a great deal, and it has been a long time since she spoke to us or heard our voices. Be gentle with her."

"We haven't the time to ease her into it."

"Even so, some finesse is necessary."

"You said that last time."

"Please, stop, guys. This is the sixth time you've had this argument," Serena groaned. Michael and Raphael stared at her for a minute in surprise, and Serena regarded them with moderate amusement. In the back of her mind, she was wondering why she felt this way around them…so happy and carefree.

Raphael grinned. "So you _do_ remember. You remember a little, at least."

"Of course. I would never forget how you always lectured me about working too hard," Serena smiled. "While you sat there playing your harp."

"Playing the harp is hard work, I'll have you know!"

"Not as hard as killing daemons, day in, day out."

Raphael sneered. "I can kill as many daemons as I wish!"

"Really? I have yet to see you lift a sword."

Michael, laughing, stopped the two from coming to blows. "I'd forgotten how much fun it was to listen to you and Raphael bicker. But, Gabriel, you must listen. Raphael and I will guide you to the Silver Crystal, but you must remember who you are, and defeat the darkness one final time. Then you will be able to return to us for good."

"I've already begun to remember," Serena replied. "But wait…my duty is almost complete?"

"Yes, sister," Raphael replied, his voice softening, the teasing look fleeing his face. "You can finally stop fighting once you win this final battle. You will finally be able to come home."

Serena felt a strange twinge in her chest, and murmured, "No more battles?"

"No more fighting…" Michael murmured gently. "Raphael and I will no longer be forced to watch helplessly as you fall in battle and are forced to be reborn and suffer the same fate over again."

"I wish we could have done something…" Raphael whispered, his eyes filled with pain. He put an arm around her shoulders. "You will not suffer like that again."

The blonde girl swallowed a strange lump in her throat. It had finally sunk in. She was the angel Gabriel, and once she defeated Chaos and Lucifer, she would return to Heaven. Heaven was Paradise, right? It was…she could remember it, though the memories were hazy. This was a good thing…hadn't she longed for it once? Once…that was the key word. She no longer wanted that. Seiya…she didn't want to leave him. That would break her heart. Paradise was Paradise, but without Seiya, her eternity would seem empty. But her brothers would be broken-hearted if she chose to stay. She couldn't bring herself to hurt Michael and Raphael.

"We need to go, Raphael," Michael realized. "Come, sister. We'll lead you to the Silver Crystal. From then on, it is up to you. But Raphael and I will be watching you. We will guide you if you need guidance or give you strength should you need it."

Serena nodded mutely, and followed. Her brothers led her to a door of light, and Raphael turned to her.

"This is where we part…for now. Try to make it out in once piece, because if you don't, I'll kill you."

Serena managed a faint smile. "I'll be all right." She turned and walked through the door, leaving Michael and Raphael behind.

**AN: **I feel like I just butchered theology…


	19. Part Eighteen: The Return

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Eighteen: The Return**

**AN: **Finally…I actually get to write a few extra chapters! Now if only I can quit thinking about Stephen King's **IT** long enough to concentrate…

Still reeling inside from the information that had been given her, Serena entered the realm Michael and Raphael had led her to. She could feel the presence of the other piece of the Silver Crystal as soon as she entered, and she also knew that she was safe from Lucifer…for the time being. The blonde approached that bright light, and the enormity of exactly what she'd just learned hit her. She dropped to her knees before the shining light, and attempted to process exactly what all of this meant. "First I'm Serena Tsukino, then I'm Sailor Moon, then I'm Princess Serenity, _then_ a Nephilim, and _then_ some weird combination of two souls in one body, and **now** I'm the archangel Gabriel!" she whispered, partly in confusion, partly in shock. "Just who exactly am I?"

_You are both the Princess of the White Moon and Gabriel,_ the Silver Crystal said soothingly in her mind.

"How is that even possible?"

_You were Gabriel before you were anyone else. Your soul has always been your own. You have simply become more human than angel as time has passed. When you were reborn as the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, you were bonded to me, and thus the power of the White Moon has remained with you ever since. You have only ever been yourself, but you forgot who you once were._

Serena felt like her head was about to explode. All of this information was far too much to process, and it was mind-boggling to realize that she was at least as old as the planet Earth. If not a little older. And Earth was how old again…? The blonde tried to remember, and finally, Amy's lecturing voice entered her mind and revealed the answer. Serena choked. _4.6 billion years_…and she was probably technically older than _that,_ even. She was older than the sun, moon, stars, and planets combined.

_Calm yourself_._ There is little time. You may think on what you have learned later. Right now, it is time that two pieces became a whole once again._

"Did my mother know about this?"

_ No…she did not. Focus, mistress, and help me become whole once more. That is the only hope the world has left now. _

Serena focused, and felt that small shard of the Crystal leave her spectral form. But she did not fade into oblivion. Rather, it was like all bonds fell away, but the power of the Crystal combined with her divine power held her there. Time seemed to stop, and in the world of the living, Katherine gasped as the larger piece of the Silver Crystal left her body and disappeared. At the same time, the spell over everyone's memories shattered, Chaos swore as she felt the presence of that damnable light return full force. Things were going to be much more difficult now. 'So much for Lucifer being any help,' she thought, and cringed as it occurred to her that he might be able to hear her thoughts.

The two pieces met in the spiritual realms, and in a flash of light and a swirl of colors with a brightness that guaranteed Serena would be seeing spots for weeks, they became one. There was a sensation of falling slowly from a great height, and Serena landed on soft grass. A soft breeze caressed her skin, and she lay there for a moment, trying to identify why the sensation was so pleasant, and realized with a start that she was actually solid. She sat up and looked around her, breathing deeply. The air now had a purpose in her lungs, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. As she looked around, she realized she was back at the place she had first become a specter, where Katherine had sealed herself into Hell.

"Are you going to just sit there all day, or are you going to let me smack you upside the head like I've been wanting for five months?" Katherine asked from off to the side.

Serena jumped up. "Kat! How'd you get here so fast?"

"I think anyone who isn't completely oblivious or dead felt it when the Silver Crystal became whole again…I must say, it took you long enough!"

"I didn't know what I was supposed to do, in my defense," Serena replied.

Katherine lightly whacked her over the head. "You scared the bloody hell out of me when you disappeared. I thought you were gone for good." The Nephilim was smiling, though, so it was okay.

Serena smiled arrogantly, and replied saucily, "Oh, no, dear, you won't be rid of me _that_ easily!"

"Seriously, how'd you do it?"

Serena sobered, and shifted uncomfortably. "Do you promise you won't have an aneurysm?"

"Why would I have an aneurysm?"

"Well…Lucifer's back in town."

"_**SHIT!**_"

"I know, but I think we'll be okay-." Serena was cut off.

"We're SCREWED!" Katherine screeched. "Chaos is here, my asshole father is here…all we need is to have Beryl and Diamond and Nehelenia show up all evil again, and, bam, we have the villain/evil arse-holes convention of the century! Bollocks!"

"You forgot Pharaoh 90," Serena quipped feebly.

Katherine glared at her, and Serena spoke softly. "Listen, Kat…it's only two villains. The Scouts I will take Chaos, and you and Arriane can kick Lucifer's ass."

"Still…"

"I know…but it'll be all right. I mean, we've made it this far. We've done the impossible once; we can do it again."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know," was the soft reply. Katherine looked into the other blonde's eyes, and saw that she really did seem positive of a good outcome.

"I hope you're right."

**¥ж****¥ж****¥ж****¥ж**

All across town, people remembered Serena. Ilene Tsukino dropped a plate and looked at her sister with fear. They both had a horrible suspicion that that awful prophecy had come to pass. Lisa pulled her sister into a hug, and Ilene prayed to every divine power that somehow, her daughter had been spared. 'How could I have forgotten her?' Ilene wondered through the haze of devastation that the loss of her daughter had brought. 'How could I have forgotten?'

Taiki and Yaten both looked up, and Seiya and Kakyuu both saw that they had remembered. "That battle..." Yaten murmured. "So the prophecy came true?"

"Not quite," Seiya answered calmly. "Do you feel it?"

And indeed they did; the power of the Crystal washed over them, and they knew that Serena was most definitely still alive and kicking, and certainly not trapped in a pit of eternal torment and suffering. "How?" Taiki wondered. "Destiny is usually impossible to thwart."

"That's a long story," Seiya was trying to look solemn, but he was so thankful that Serena had managed to make her Starseed whole again that he failed miserably. A radiant smile was there, beneath the poor attempt at seriousness.

Amara yelled for Michelle and Hotaru, and all three were ready to storm the gates of Hell before Trista stopped them and pointed out that Serena was back. "How?" all three asked. Trista replied that they had better go find Serena so they could ask her. Meanwhile, Rae lurched backwards from the fire, and she felt Serena's presence appear on Earth once more. The fire soldier was on her feet in an instant, torn between an urge to throttle the blonde and an urge to hug her. Amy threw her book aside and was out the door in an instant, all thoughts of her studies abandoned. Lita forgot all about the cupcakes she was making and dashed out, relief overcoming fury. Serena was safe. Mina let out a shriek and followed the same path as the others, with Princess Kakyuu and the Starlights hot on her heels. Luna and Artemis were right behind them.

They arrived just in time to find Serena standing there, whole and alive, talking to the blonde Nephilim they'd seen the last time there had been a battle against Chaos' minions. Serena herself seemed fairly calm and unruffled, but the other girl was obviously mere steps away from a meltdown. She saw them, and said, "Serena, I think your friends want to talk to you."

Serena turned and faced them, completely calm. Or so it appeared. Inside, her mind was racing. 'Okay, who's going to smack me first? Seiya and Kakyuu already know the details, so I'm safe from them, but what do I do about Rae and Amara? Heck, Lita might want to hit me, too! All right, maybe I could…' And the whirlwind of thoughts continued for a few more seconds before Seiya's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"…Amara. Before anyone goes jumping to conclusions, let Serena explain what the circumstances were."

"How the hell can I calm down? She scared the shit out of me! She had all of us thinking we were never going to see her again."

"I repeat myself, let her explain. The situation was desperate, and she did what she felt was necessary."

"Indeed," Kakyuu joined in. "She did not have many options, and the two original choices forced her to form her own plan."

'Yup…Amara was ready to kick my butt,' Serena thought. The sky soldier was breathing deeply in an effort to control herself. So she did her best to look contrite and repentant; after all, she _had _most likely scared the daylights out of everyone, and she knew she'd put Seiya through a great deal of pain. Granted, she could justify it, but it didn't make it okay. Amara seemed mollified upon seeing Serena's at look of at least partial genuine contrition.

"Well, Serena?" Rae inquired. The fire soldier was clearly starting to get mad.

"It seems really stupid in hindsight," Serena began. "The decision I made…but I did what I thought was right at the time. And don't even think of trying to slip away, Kat. You're part of this, too."

Katherine blushed guiltily, and ceased her attempts to quietly sneak away.

"Who's this?" Lita asked.

"Katherine. She's a…a friend of mine. A close friend."

Katherine snickered at the understatement, and Seiya and Kakyuu both briefly exchanged looks of faint amusement. Even Serena cracked a small grin before she caught sight of the growing irritation on everyone else's faces. Katherine then did something that would delay explanation for several minutes. She did the universal 'come here gesture' and Serena moved closer. She then leaned in, and whispered directly into the blonde's ear;

"Chaos' ass crack! Get on with it!"

Serena stared at her friend in disbelief for a minute, and burst out laughing. Katherine grinned, and the others gave her dirty looks. Seiya and Kakyuu did not, but they were both a little confused. Serena continued to laugh, and soon, Katherine had the giggles as well.

"Is there some sort of joke you'd like to let us in on, Serena?" Lita inquired impatiently.

Both girls sobered, and Serena let out a few more giggles, then became serious. "Sorry about that. No, there isn't really a joke…well, I guess it might be, but…"

"Get on with it!" Yaten groaned.

"Okay, okay…well…Kat, a little help here?"

"Serena and I spent the first sixteen years of our lives sharing a body," Katherine said nonchalantly. Seiya and Kakyuu were completely unsurprised, as they had heard it before. The others, however, stared at her as if she'd completely lost her mind.

"Yeah, right." Amara's tone was skeptical.

"It's true," Serena spoke up. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

"How did it happen?"

"We've both talked about it…a lot…and, honestly, we don't really know. We figure that it was some weird accident and we both just happened to end up in the same body. The thing is, Katherine was…oh, what's the word…dormant, I guess, until a little over a year ago."

"You're serious?"

"I wouldn't joke about this. Furthermore, Arriane could tell you it's true. Anyway, that's part of what was going on. It turned out that Katherine's the one who's half-angel, and the one who had to fulfill the prophecy, and I am who I've always been." 'Except that I just found out I'm the archangel Gabriel,' she added mentally.

She continued, "When we realized this, we started basically doing a timeshare thing. When Malos' goons would attack or the Powers were trying to kill us, Katherine would do the fighting. I would be driving the rest of the time, but we could still hear each other and help one of us got into a tight spot. But then, Lucifer showed up and was basically gearing up to suck the whole universe into Hell. We both had our own destinies, but I wasn't going to let Katherine hang out to dry, and besides, we had to do something, or else we were both going to die. So I started forming a plan which we both agreed was insane, but neither of us could come up with a better idea."

Serena stopped talking, and seemed to be struggling to find a way to continue. Katherine picked the story up. "Serena decided that she'd split the Silver Crystal into two pieces. One would keep her alive once Lucifer separated us. The other would help me get out of Hell once I sealed the gates. She didn't want anyone to get hurt once the vortex opened; you see, to seal something that leaks, you sometimes have to open it to close it all the way. If anyone else had been there, they would have ended up sealed in with me. We never expected a complication to arise."

"She _what_?" Yaten gasped.

"She split the Silver Crystal. It was supposed to be temporary. The problem was that, while I was in Hell, I got captured , and I had to think of a way to keep Lucifer from getting his hands on that piece of the Silver Crystal. To make a long story short, that piece spent some time in my digestive tract."

That was all too much for Trista. The time soldier bit back the screech, and asked of Serena in an oh-so-deadly tone of voice, "You mean to tell us that you broke universal laws and endangered your very existence in order to defy Fate?"

"I was trying to save a life. So shoot me. Katherine's my friend, and I wasn't going to just hang her out to dry."

"You could have died."

"I knew that when I did what I did. But it was the only idea we had. Would you have preferred for the world to go up in smoke or for me to die, even temporarily?"

That silenced all further comment from everyone.

"Besides, I'm here now. And isn't that what matters."

"She has a point," Seiya stated calmly. Kakyuu nodded in agreement.

"Wait…did you two know about this?" Amara asked. "Neither of you seem surprised."

"I found out because I ran into Arriane and Katherine, and they told me some things, and Serena filled in the rest."

"Serena informed me as well."

"If you were able to tell them, why not us?" Rae asked. She was actually looking hurt.

"It's more complicated than it seems. I was basically a ghost; invisible and ineffectual. I couldn't make myself known, even though I wanted to. No one could hear me or see me except angels or those who knew how to look."

"Yeah…you couldn't even turn the page of a book or make a drape move," Katherine mused.

"Well…I guess that makes it a little better. But why didn't you tell us about the problem?" Amy asked.

"I was pretty sure you guys would toss me in the loony bin. I mean, it's not like we've ever really had two separate people literally coexisting in one body, getting along, and fully aware of the other's existence."

They all exchanged looks, considered this, and had to admit that that much was true.

"Is there anything else you wish to tell us?" Trista asked.

"No," Katherine replied.

"No," Serena answered. 'Maybe I ought to tell them…' "Well, yes."

"What can possibly make this even crazier?" Amara muttered.

"Lucifer's back. And I think he might have joined forces with Chaos. While I was getting the two pieces of the Silver Crystal to reunite, he was after me. Said he was doing Chaos a favor."

"Oh, _shit_!"

"Are you sure, Odango?" Seiya asked worriedly.

"99.99% positive."

"Oh, dear…" Kakyuu was distressed now, and she started to pace in an effort to find a solution.

"And he was after _you_?" Katherine asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. But I think it's only going to get worse. He's after you, too."

"Well, he's going to be disappointed," Lita spoke up, and she walked up and slung an arm over Serena's shoulders. "He's not going to get you, and we're going to kick both those creeps' butts."

"Agreed," Amara said grimly. "It's going to be a huge fight, but he's not getting our Princess until no one's left standing."

"If I have it my way, it won't get that bad," Serena stated. "Maybe we can get some of the Fallen on our side and convince the Powers to help." 'And meanwhile, I'll be asking Michael and Raphael exactly what kind of powers I have as Gabriel. It might help,' she thought.

"But what if it does? Get that bad, I mean. You can't eliminate the possibility," Taiki wondered.

"I know, but sometimes, you just have to trust that things will work out in the end."

"I see that you're still overly optimistic," Amara smiled faintly. "But that's all right. We need all the hope we can get."

"Duh! You're the most pessimistic lot I've ever met!" Katherine snorted.

"Kat! Be nice!" Serena scolded.

"I am simply stating the facts."

"And you're also being too assertive."

"What's wrong with that? I _am_, after all, the one who'll be kicking Lucifer's arse all the way back to Hell! Besides, you weren't feeling too hopeful a few weeks ago."

"I was having nightmares and waking up in a graveyard all the time!"

"And not doing a thing about it."

"I thought I was going crazy! And besides, I'm not the one who has some weird crush on Sweeney Todd!"

"I do _not_ have a crush on Sweeney Todd! I just like to hear Johnny Depp sing."

"And he sings while slashing people's throats."

"This coming from the girl who has read Stephen King's _IT _three times!" And the argument continued.

Off to the side, Taiki whispered to Yaten; "They bicker like children…or siblings."

"In a way, they kind of are siblings…they shared the same body, and they seem to have spent a lot of time together. But the idea is _so _weird!"


	20. Part Nineteen: A Great Divide

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Nineteen: A Great Divide**

**Serena: **How exactly are you planning to negotiate a non-bittersweet ending?

**Starlily11: **I'm working on it…

When Serena finally managed to escape the storm of questions and force herself to leave Seiya's arms, she decided that she ought to find her mother and aunt and explain things. Ilene alternated between hugging the blonde to within an inch of her life and whacking her over the head for scaring her so badly. Serena spent the next several hours attempting (and failing miserably) to calm her down. Fortunately, before she sustained permanent brain damage, Arriane showed up and helped her explain things, and Sammy and Adel both breathed sighs of relief. They weren't crazy. Sammy even gave his sister a huge hug and was nice to her for a full five minutes before her went back to his usual bratty little brother mode. Serena simply smiled. It was good to be home.

The blonde sat down on her bed, looking around her room. It was so familiar, yet so strange. It was delightful to be back in the land of the living, but it also felt weird. She was still getting used to being able to smell and taste again, to feel things on her skin. It was a delicious feeling, and for the first time, she understood why it was impossible to describe accurately how something felt. There were no words for it. The same was true for the sense of smell and taste. They had all become so foreign to her that food felt heavy in her stomach, and she couldn't make herself eat more than a few bites or drink more than a few sips. It felt like it might actually fall through her if she wasn't careful. Her mother had been concerned, but Arriane had informed her that it was normal, considering the state Serena had been in for over a year. That would go away in a few days, she'd said.

Serena lay down and closed her eyes, thinking. She would have to tell Seiya and the others about Michael and Raphael…about who she was eventually. But how could she do it so soon after she'd returned? It would hurt Seiya so much, and it would certainly grieve everyone else. But she owed it to them. She wasn't doing them any favors by keeping them in the dark. But it would be so difficult, and several hearts would be broken, including hers. Maybe she could tell them after they defeated the enemy? No…that wasn't fair to them. Or she could stay? No… Michael had specifically said that once she defeated Chaos and Lucifer, she would be leaving. Raphael was looking forward to seeing his sister again and knowing that she would finally be able to stop fighting. He would be heartbroken, and although Michael would probably let her go, he would be, too. She couldn't bear to hurt her brothers, but pain burned her heart like fire at the thought of leaving Seiya again.

'Maybe it would be better if I just left after the battle. I mean, a relationship between an archangel and a human is asking for trouble, and it would end badly. Seiya could get hurt, and whatever children we had would be misfits and might be hunted down by the Powers. There's a truce between them and Kat, but they never said anything about not hunting other Nephilim, and that's what our children would be. Furthermore, I would end up becoming a Fallen,' Serena thought. She had to be rational about this. But then, her emotions started talking. 'I promised Seiya I wouldn't try to protect him anymore! I _promised_! I need to tell him, and maybe he can find a way to make it work. I love Raphael and Michael…they're my brothers, but I also love Seiya. Paradise would be meaningless without him. I should just talk to Michael and Raphael, tell them how I feel about Seiya. Surely they want me to be happy. Besides, if I just left, Seiya would wait for me, and he'd be hurting…' Tears filled the girl's eyes, and spilled out from under her closed eyelids. The hot tears sent warm tingles all through her body, as did anything she could physically touch.

A knock sounded on the door. "Serena? Sweetie? Can I come in?" It was her mom.

The blonde wiped her tears away and suppressed the others, sat up, then answered, "Sure. The door's unlocked."

Ilene came in. "Are you all right, honey? I know you've been through a lot, and everything probably feels awfully strange. And I guess I didn't really help earlier."

"It's okay, Mom. I'm all right."

"Are you sure? I just have a feeling that something's bothering you."

"I just need to re-acclimate. I'll be fine." Serena flashed a smile. 'There you go again, Serena. You're practically becoming a compulsive liar.'

"If you want to talk, let me know. You're not alone anymore."

"I know, Mom. I'm actually feeling a little tired."

"Get some rest, sweetie. I love you." Ilene gently kissed her daughter's forehead.

"I love you, too, Mom."

The blonde lay back down again, and the tears returned. She let them flow, feeling utterly helpless. This was the ultimate no-win situation. Whatever path she chose, she could hurt Seiya. If she stayed, she risked endangering him and would hurt her brothers, and if she went, her brothers would be happy, but Seiya would have his heart broken by her again. She'd already done that more than someone as good as him deserved. She would have to tell him, but it would be so hard…oh, so hard…he'd already put up with more of her baggage than anyone had any right to expect of him. And why? Because he loved her. But she still had to tell him. She'd promised not to try and carry her baggage by herself again.

"But what will I tell him?" she whispered. She was thankful Luna was with Artemis and not able to see her like this. The purple cat had nearly had a conniption after hearing about the Silver Crystal. If she saw her charge crying like a baby and worrying herself like this, she'd have all of her friends on her, asking questions and probing, and they would be bad enough anyway what with the stunts she'd pulled. At least she knew that if she just told Seiya, the worst that could happen was that Kakyuu would find out and possibly vaporize her. And that would possibly start a war…

'Stop, Serena. Just stop. Cut the drama and try to be rational. Get some sleep. Things will make more sense tomorrow.'

The blonde drifted into any uneasy sleep, her dreams troubled and filled with turmoil.

**жѢ****жѢ****жѢ****жѢ****жѢ**

Serena woke up the next morning at dawn. The sun was just rising, and the clouds were a soft pink streaked with gold and orange. The sun was a shining disk in the sky, its light still faint, but she knew it would soon light up the sky, and gently rouse people all across town from their dreams. With a soft smile on her face, she remembered the first sunrise. The Creator had just made the sun and created light. It had been so beautiful…it still was. But, really, no repeat experiences could top a first experience. Raphael had actually been rendered speechless. Michael had been breathless with awe and wonder. That light had been so bright and warm…people said that her light was such, but they were wrong. If they had seen the first sunrise as she had, they would know what the brightest light truly felt like. It was the first light, the one that had spawned all other lights.

The blonde could not sleep anymore, and so she waited for everyone else to wake up. It appeared that Luna had spent the night with Artemis…Serena smiled. She was glad they were so happy. Once the rest of the household was awake, Serena managed to eat a somewhat normal sized breakfast, even though it made her feel slightly queasy, and then went back upstairs to get dressed, with the intention of going to find Katherine once she'd left. She'd decided that she wasn't going to tell Seiya until she could honestly say that she'd found a solution. Of course, if he asked her directly if anything was going on, she would tell him. But if he didn't, she would say nothing. Besides, maybe Katherine would have some ideas.

It seemed that Katherine had practically read her mind, because the Nephilim climbed in through the window as Serena was trying to pick out a shirt.

"Whoa…that is one heck of a tattoo there, Serena. When'd you get that?"

"What do you mean?" Serena craned her neck and tried to look, but couldn't see anything.

"It's on your back; here…" Katherine turned her this way and that, and once in the right position, Serena saw what Katherine was talking about. It certainly wasn't like any tattoo she'd ever seen before; it lay between her shoulder blades, a complex thing of beauty, spread vertically and reaching almost to the small of her back. With a start, she realized that it was in the language of Enoch, the same as the etchings upon her sword. It was a word; _Gabriel_. 'Of course,' Serena thought. 'Each angel bears their name, and is marked.' In answer to Katherine's question, she replied, "I never got a tattoo. It just appeared."

"It looks like it's in some weird ancient language. I can't read it."

"It says _Gabriel_. It's in the language of Enoch."

Katherine froze. "But that would mean…if you can read it…"

"I didn't really tell everyone the whole story. When I was trying to escape from Lucifer, Michael and Raphael saved me. Michael told me that I was Gabriel, the Preliator, God's left hand."

"_Holy shit…_"

"I know. But it makes sense…I briefly fought Lucifer and a sword that burned with white fire appeared in my hand."

"_**You're the archangel Gabriel and you didn't tell **__**me**__**?**_" Katherine's voice was a whisper, but it seemed to reverberate in Serena's mind.

"I was still trying to wrap my head around it. Believe me, I was just about to come find you and tell you."

Katherine appeared mollified. "You didn't tell anyone else, did you?"

"No. You're the first one."

"Wow…this is so strange…"

"I know…and I don't know what to do." Serena's eyes turned teary again, and she sniffed.

"You're an angel and you're crying about it? This is so cool! Ask Michael or Raphael or whoever to tell you how to use your powers and we can kick some major ass!"

"That's not all…" Serena let out a strangled sob.

Katherine sobered. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Michael said that once I defeated Chaos and Lucifer, I would be able to go back to Paradise, and stop fighting."

"I don't know why you're so upset…it's Paradise, for God's sake!"

"Think about it, Kat."

Katherine thought for a moment, and then she got it. "Oh…you mean you'd be leaving for good. As in I'd never see you again."

Sniffling, Serena nodded.

"Oh, ye gods…what do we do?"

"I don't know…Raphael and Michael really want me to come back, but I don't want to leave Seiya. But I can't stay, either. It would never work. The Powers still hunt Nephilim… you're safe because you saved the world and all, but what if Seiya and I ever did the dirty and had kids? I would end up becoming a Fallen, and the Powers would be after me and any kids I might have. Seiya would be in danger. But I promised him I wouldn't try to hide stuff anymore, and I know this will break his heart…"

"Damn…maybe we can ask Arriane if she can think of anything. I mean, surely God understands if one of His angels falls in love. Maybe there's a way to do it without breaking universal laws."

"But what about Seiya? I'm supposed to see him today, and he can read me like a book. I'll have to tell him, Kat, and I don't know if we'll make it through this." Serena burst into tears, but the sobs were quiet rather than being her usual ear-splitting wails.

Katherine pulled Serena into a hug. "I don't know what to tell you, Sere, but I think you'll just have to tell him. But we'll find a way. We've managed to change our destinies before, and we can do it again. Don't give up. You're no fun when you're all weepy, depressed, and despairing."

Serena managed a shaky laugh, and she smiled weakly. "Who's the optimistic one, again?"

"You are, usually. I think you're rubbing off on me, though. Now come on, cheer up, or I might start crying with you."

Serena let out another laugh, and wiped her tears away.

Katherine smiled. "That's better. Now, you need to get dressed and then we can pick Arriane's brain for answers before you have to talk to Seiya. Maybe we'll find a way to resolve this problem."

**ж¥****ж¥****ж¥****ж¥****ж¥**

"There is no way out." Arriane's voice was filled with compassion, but it did nothing to soothe Serena's pain.

"Are you sure?" Katherine asked pleadingly. "Are you positive about that? There's no way whatsoever; there's absolutely nothing we can do?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Angels are not meant to be human. The only reason Gabriel ever became earthbound was to protect the world until there came a time when Hell would be completely sealed."

"But I could never be completely happy, or even moderately happy, without the one I love!" Serena cried. "And that's Seiya!"

"I'm sorry, but there's no way; and even if there were, the price would most likely end up being too high."

"If I die, at least I'll die knowing I tried to make things work."

"And what if it cost Seiya his life?"

Serena was silent for a long time, and finally, she murmured, "I would never let that happen."

"Arriane, isn't there some way that Serena could just give up her angel powers or something? How many archangels does Heaven need, anyway?"

"Raphael and Michael are both angry with humanity; they do not act against mankind, but they do not intervene on their behalf, either. They feel that if humanity had simply done what they had been told in the first place, they would never have lost their sister. You see, because Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Lucifer grew stronger, and was able to wreak all manner of havoc, and create misery for all mankind. The Creator had to keep the balance, and so He asked which of his angels would go down to Earth and protect humanity until a certain time. Gabriel volunteered, even though she knew it could cause her great pain and suffering. And so, she became earthbound, and each time she suffered a fatal wound, she was reborn every eighteen years, and each time she died, Michael's and Raphael's hearts broke a little more. After so long, only Gabriel will ever be able to convince them to drop their grudge. Only Gabriel can convince them to intervene should it be necessary."

"So Serena has to give up the one she loves most just because she's the only one who can get her sulky brothers to help save the world?"

"If you want to put it that way, then yes."

"Unbelievable…un-fucking-believable…I guess I'll just have to kick their asses, then. I'll deal with the Powers too, if necessary."

"Kat, no!"

"They're being petty and vindictive…they need to get over themselves and realize that they're making you miserable!"

"But you could be killed! And I couldn't stand that!"

"But what about you? You'll be miserable…"

Serena forced a brave smile. "I'll just need to suck it up and try not to let it hurt me too much. I love Seiya, but if the world gets destroyed, I'll lose him anyway. I'd rather see him alive and happy with someone else than dead and mine just because I didn't want to give him up."

"Sere…"

"It's okay, Kat. I'll be okay. They say time heals all wounds, and I'll be around for who knows how long. It's better this way."

Serena stood and walked out. Katherine glared at Arriane, and followed. The door slammed behind her, and Arriane began to flip through ancient volumes, trying to find a way to resolve this dreadful conflict.

**ж¥****ж¥****ж¥****ж¥****ж¥****ж¥****ж¥ж**

Seiya watched Serena closely. Something was bothering her, and every so often, she would look at him, start to say something, and then stop, either from reluctance to continue or uncertainty as to what to say. Her hands shook slightly, and her eyes held a depth of sorrow that he'd never seen before, along with resignation. What was wrong? He could see that she wanted to tell him, but something was stopping her. They were alone, safely hidden by trees and away from eavesdroppers. He took her hand and told her gently, "Go ahead and tell me what's wrong, Odango. Don't worry about how it comes out. We'll figure this out."

His concern only grew when her eyes filled with tears. The blonde seemed to be trying to control herself, judging from her shaky attempts to breathe deeply. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

Serena nodded, unable to speak.

"Where?"

Serena breathed shakily for a few moments, and then whispered, "My heart."

"Why does your heart hurt?"

"Because it's breaking," the words came out as sobs.

Seiya wrapped his arms around her. "Why? You're not stuck somewhere between life and death, you're surrounded by people who love you; why does your heart hurt?"

Serena sniffed, and then did a strange thing. She gently disengaged herself from his embrace. "I learned something about myself while I was getting the two pieces of the Silver Crystal to reunite." Then, she turned her back, pulled down the straps of her top, and the garment slid down to reveal a strange sort of symbol that stretched down to the small of her back almost on top of her spine.

Seiya lightly touched it. "What is it?"

"Does the word 'Enoch' mean anything to you?"

'What's she getting at?' Seiya wondered. "Um, no, Odango."

"The mark on my back is in a language only known to archangels. There are three; Michael, the Healer, Raphael, the Harper, and Gabriel, the Preliator. This mark, if you know the language, reads _Gabriel_. It is in the language of Enoch."

Oh…_oh…_what she was saying hit Seiya like a slap in the face. "But if you know what it says…then that means…you're the archangel Gabriel?"

Serena nodded solemnly.

"I'm still not sure I understand, Odango. I mean, it's certainly weird, but it's not exactly the end of the world. So you have more power than one would expect and you're a little older than we thought. That's nothing to get this upset over."

"Michael spoke to me. He said that once I defeated Chaos and Lucifer, I was going to return to Paradise."

Seiya looked at the tears in his blonde angel's eyes, and he suddenly realized what she meant. "You mean I'll never see you again."

"I swear, I tried to find a way out. But there isn't."

"Think rationally, Odango. Just because you happen to move to another place doesn't mean you can't ever see me again."

"Don't you get it, Seiya? Angels aren't supposed to be with humans. If I stayed, I would become a Fallen, and any children we had would be Nephilim. Katherine's only allowed to live because the Powers figure that she's good because she saved the world. But they still hate the Fallen, and I wouldn't be given any consideration."

"We'll make it work!" Seiya burst out. "We'll find a way!"

"The world's in danger, and it looks like all three archangels will be needed. I'm the only one who can convince Michael and Raphael to come and help! If I chose to stay, they wouldn't fight, and the world would end!" Serena's voice had risen, and Seiya realized that he'd raised his voice, too.

"Oh, so you're just going to give up?" Seiya's voice became harsh, but he was so mad he didn't care. "When did you start doing that? When did you decide that the world and everything else would come first? When did I become a distant second or third?"

"It doesn't matter, because the world would end, and we'd all be dead!" Serena snapped. "And if you would wake up and see that, you would understand how I'm feeling right now! I love you, but I can't let the world die because of that."

"All I'm hearing are excuses! You never consider the fact that I go through emotional hell because I'm so busy worrying about whether or not I'll wake up one morning and find that you've given up and checked out on me! You've never once considered asking for help! And I'm getting sick of it!"

Serena's eyes were streaming tears, but she didn't notice. "And you think I haven't suffered? I was up all night trying to find a way to fix this, and you're just making this harder! Do you think I _want _to leave? Do you think I haven't considered the situation from every possible angle? You're starting to sound like Darien! He called me a selfish bitch, too!"

"When did I ever say you were a selfish bitch? Don't put words in my mouth!"

"You implied it! You're so busy looking at one side of the story that you're not even listening to what I'm saying!"  
>"No, <em>you're<em> so busy blowing things out of proportion that you're incapable of being reasonable!"

"Excuse me? I'm being perfectly reasonable! I'm not the one who started this argument!"

"I can't even talk to you right now!"

"Fine! I'll just leave, then. It'll simplify things so much. Sorry I've made your life so complicated; but at least you know that as soon as we end this battle, I'm gone!"

"Fine! Go!"

Serena turned on her heel and stormed off one way, while Seiya went the other way. Seiya walked to his room and locked himself in, while Serena went even further into the wilderness and stayed there. Once they were away from one another, both could think more clearly.

'What was I thinking?' Seiya thought. 'I should have tried to comfort her, not make her feel worse. For crying out loud, she obviously felt that her hands were tied.' Yaten knocked on the door, asking if he was all right, and Seiya answered that he just wanted to be alone.

"What happened?" the silver-haired boy asked.

"I don't want to talk about it. Please…just leave me alone."

"All right. But we have to meet the others tonight and discuss strategies."

"I'll be there."

Meanwhile, Serena sank down against a tree and cried. She hadn't meant to say some of the things she'd said, but Seiya had never yelled at her before, except maybe from a long way away to get her attention. And that had always been affectionate, not hostile and angry like it had been today. Still, she knew she'd gone too far with that Darien remark. Seiya was nothing like Darien. She wished she could just invent a way to give up her angelic status. She would stab herself multiple times in the chest if that was how she could do it. Physical wounds could heal, but these emotional wounds would bleed forever.

"Hey, you okay?" Katherine had appeared. "What happened?"

"I told Seiya. We had a huge fight. He hates me now."

"What did he say?"

"He got mad, though I guess I understand why. I've hurt him so much, and he has every right to be sick of it."

"Didn't you explain that you didn't have any other choice?"

"I tried, but he didn't understand."

"Well, to hell with him, then. You don't need any more problems. You've got enough to deal with."

"I just wish it didn't hurt so much."

**Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ**

Luna made sure to tell Serena about the meeting, and miraculously, she showed up on time. But there was some awkwardness. Serena had made up her mind to simply leave once the battle was over, and she therefore kept her distance from Seiya as much as she could. Seiya wanted to go to her and apologize, but she made certain that they were never alone together long enough for him to broach the topic. She smiled and was civil, even cordial, but it soon became clear that something had happened between the Starlight and the Moon Princess. However, when asked, both denied that anything was wrong. The meeting concluded, and Serena was out the door before any more questions could be asked.

'It's better this way,' Serena thought. 'I'm doing the right thing. Seiya doesn't want me around, and I completely understand. Besides, I don't belong here.'


	21. Part Twenty: Shadows of the Past

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty: Shadows of the Past**

**Serena: **What are you planning…?

**Starlily11: **I take the fifth.

**Serena: **You're driving me crazy…

Serena did not head straight home after the meeting was over. She needed to think. She'd seen forgiveness in Seiya's eyes, and it had taken all of her self-control not to break down and say that she'd find a way. The point was that being around her was bad for Seiya. Every time they thought they were safe, something would always happen and cause trouble, endangering him. If that wasn't a sign that they weren't supposed to be together, she didn't know what was. Fate did not really care if they suffered; that it would break their hearts. The blonde sighed softly, wishing there were a way to simply cast aside her angelic status and become human. But no…in her world, there were no easy solutions. Either way, no matter what she did, she would still eventually lose him.

"Lord Creator, You gave all mankind free will, and so it was for all of Your creations; including angels. Is there a way I could be with the one I love without displeasing You? Pray, give me a sign that I might know if there is hope," the blonde murmured softly. Perhaps the Creator would see what lay in her heart and understand.

There was silence, but no answer came to her. Serena kept walking, feeling hopeless. It appeared that nothing could help her. The air around her seemed to turn thick, and grew cooler. A sense of foreboding entered her, and she paused. A shadowy figure that did not look entirely human lurked in the mist that had suddenly spread around her. This scene felt disturbingly familiar, and her silver Khopesh sword appeared in her hand, flaring up with white flame. Memories danced elusively in the outskirts of her memory, but could not be recalled. Even so, it felt eerily familiar.

Michael's voice spoke in her mind then. _Gabriel, prepare yourself. A reaper is about to strike. He's already killed you once; be on your guard._

'Reapers…' she thought. 'I remember…they're horrible monsters that hunt people in the night and claim their souls after the kill, dragging them to Hell. I'd forgotten. They lurk in a dimension that coexists with that of the humans, called the Darker Reaches. I have to enter that to fight them.'

Serena gripped her sword, took a deep breath, and sidestepped, entering the Darker Reaches. The creature's shape became much clearer, and she was able to block its attack once it lunged. Immediately, a name came to her. _Sammael_…she remembered him. He'd killed her once long ago, sometime in the 1500s. Well, he would not have her this time! She raised her sword and met his eyes. "Sammael. It's been a while," she stated coolly.

"Not long enough, Preliator," Sammael snarled. An unsightly scar had twisted one half of his already hideous face into the stuff of nightmares. Vaguely, Serena could recall inflicting that injury, and felt a certain satisfaction at the thought. The reaper's skin was a livid red, and his eyes were a disturbing, phosphorescent shade of yellow. His ears were pointed, and sharp horns sprouted from his head, claws replacing fingernails. Sharp teeth flashed, and Serena blocked another attack with her sword, dodged a swipe of the claws, and managed to nick her attacker's skin.

"I'll kill you, Preliator, like I did last time!"

"Not if I kill you first." The blonde narrowly dodged a nasty collision with a tree, and then ducked as Sammael took another swipe at her with his claws. Not quite fast enough, though, as they grazed her forehead. The blonde mentally winced and made a neat cut into his side. Sammael roared in pain, and managed to inflict several deep cuts on her shoulder. Blood spilled from them, and she felt a slight trickle of the same substance leaving the wound on her forehead. Serena knew she was in trouble then. She had to get out of here, but she couldn't just let Sammael keep killing innocents and trapping them in Hell…she barely managed to stop another attack, and Sammael, sensing her distraction, began to press his advantage.

This time, Serena could barely keep from getting hit. Her memories of the past were still cloudy, and she knew she had to remember if she was to survive… The blonde blocked another blow, and another. How long could she keep it up? She could feel her wounds starting to close, but not quickly enough. If Sammael managed to tear open a wound and make it worse…she was not likely to survive this. She made one desperate stroke, and it hit home. The angelic fire seared into Sammael's flesh, and made a crippling wound. She struck again, and the reaper was through, burning to ashes. His flesh was scorched away, revealing white bone and remnants of muscle tissue. She could see the flames licking at him, and felt bile rise in her throat. He was done for, so she exited the Darker Reaches, and promptly lost the contents of her stomach quietly behind a bush.

The blonde pulled out her compact to inspect the damage, and saw that even though her wounds were pretty much healed, without even a trace left, the blood still remained. If she wanted to be able to go on about her business, she would have to get it off of her. She raised a hand and rubbed the blood off of her forehead, and had just started on her shoulder when she heard someone scream. It sounded all too familiar; that kind of scream meant that somebody was having their Star Seed taken. Serena powered up, prayed that no more reapers would show up, and got there just in time. The poor victim's Star Seed faded out, and a Phage quickly appeared. The perpetrator disappeared.

Sailor Moon sighed; she just could not catch a break tonight. She jumped out of the way of an attack, preparing to start healing the Phage. Unfortunately, the attacks never gave her enough time to really concentrate. It got even worse when she saw another reaper approaching in the Darker Reaches. "This is _so _not my day!" she muttered. How could she fight two things at once? It appeared that some multi-tasking was in order, as well as major improvisation. The reaper lunged, and she kicked it hard in the face.

"Silver Moon-!" she began, and her Tier began to glow. The Phage tried to attack, and she dodged. The reaper came at her, and she held the Tier with one hand for a minute and punched the attacker in the stomach. "Crystal Power-!" The reaper and Phage both attacked at once. She made one leap in the air and avoided both attacks. "Kiss!" she finished, and the Tier radiated its healing light, healing the Phage. Serena quickly de-transformed and entered the Darker Reaches, sword at the ready. As she did so, she heard the sound of snapping fingers. The Starlights had arrived. 'Too bad they're late,' Serena thought. 'I could have used some help a few minutes ago.'

Meanwhile, in our dimension, the Starlights looked around in confusion as they realized that the Phage was already back to normal. The last of the Tier's light was starting to fade, and it was clear that Sailor Moon had been there a few seconds ago. "Damn, she moves a lot faster than I remember!" Healer commented. "We're actually late! But how did she manage to disappear so quickly? It's like she just vanished into thin air!"

Maker looked around. "It seems that quick and mysterious exits have become a habit of hers," the violet eyed woman observed. "Fighter, any ideas?"

"No…" Fighter replied distractedly. 'Is it possible that Odango is trying to avoid me? I'd better talk to her soon, or I could lose her forever. I didn't mean what I said…'

"Well, I guess we should get out of here. It's not like we have a Phage to blast," Healer said.

"Right," Fighter managed, and the three exited.

In the Darker Reaches, Serena was locked in combat, fending off her third attacker in a row. This reaper was not as powerful as Sammael, but due to her clouded memories, she was having trouble fighting up to her usual standard. 'Oh, well, at least I managed to disappear before Fighter saw me,' she thought, and continued to fight. The reaper's claws slashed her forehead again, and the scratches began to close, but not before the reaper could reopen them. Serena slammed the blade of her sword into its chest, and soon, it was burning as Sammael had. She reappeared in her own dimension, and wiped the blood from her forehead for the second time. Her weapon disappeared, and she leaned against a tree, taking a few deep breaths.

'I've had busy nights before, but this is ridiculous!' she thought. 'What next? Will Lucifer show up again? Wait, don't think that! He might actually show up! Or Chaos! Shut up, brain!' She looked around warily.

"Odango?" A voice sounded from behind her.

"Crap!" Serena muttered. Seiya was clearly still transformed; Fighter's voice was the one she heard. "Fighter…is something wrong?"

"No…I was just wondering if you were all right. Chaos is up to her old tricks."

"Oh…yeah. I saw the Phage. I decided I wanted to just get it over with, so I just cut to the chase."

"I saw. But where'd you go? I thought something had happened…you don't normally disappear on me like that."

"Sorry. I just wanted to get home." The cuts on her forehead were still bleeding, and Fighter's hand, enclosed in black leather, rested on her shoulder. The blonde kept a hand over the injuries. "Where are the others? Healer and Maker?"

"They're on their way back to our apartment. I felt your presence nearby, and I wanted to talk to you."

"What about? You made your feelings clear earlier today." Serena kept her tone distant. Not cold, but not open to conversation, either.

Fighter's hand tightened on her shoulder. "I was angry…I should never have said what I did. I'm sorry for hurting you. It just feels like the world is against us."

"It does, doesn't it?" The cuts had healed, but the blood remained. "But the facts still remain. It could never work. One of us would always be miserable, one or the other."

"Don't talk like that…please…" Fighter's voice was choked. "Aren't you the one who said that it's never hopeless?"

"What would you have me do? Endanger you? Let you get killed trying to keep me safe? I would lose you eventually."

"We don't have to be together like that…as long as you stay…"

"I wouldn't be able to control myself that long. Just having you this close to me is enough to drive me to distraction and almost convince me to throw all sense and reason out the window." Fighter's breath was soft on her cheek, and Serena felt her resolve weakening. Her hand dropped, revealing the blood.

Fighter gasped, and turned her around. Serena, to her regret, saw tears in the noir-haired woman's eyes, and her face held deep distress. Fighter lightly touched the place where the wounds had been. "What happened?" she asked. Her eyes moved down to the torn part of Serena's shirt, and saw remnants of blood there. "_What happened?_" The dark-haired woman's voice held a note of hysteria.

"Just a few scratches." Serena wiped the blood away, revealing completely unblemished skin. "Such is the risk of life. You get hurt."

Tears ran unchecked down Fighter's face. "Why are you shutting me out like this? Odango, please…don't do this."

"It's for your own good. It's better for both of us if we just do a clean break. Less painful."

"How can you say that?"

"I'm sorry, Fighter. But unless I find a way to change the current situation, this is how it's going to be…" Serena sidestepped into the Darker Reaches, leaving Fighter behind. 'Forgive me, love,' she thought as she reappeared a safe distance away. 'I wish it weren't like this.'

The blonde went to bed that night, and shadows of her long past haunted her. Reapers smirked down at her at every turn, and waves of excruciating pain assailed her. These dreams keep her in their grasp until sunrise.


	22. Part Twenty One: A New Threat

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty One: Revelations and a New Threat**

**Serena: **I hate you…

**Starlily11: **Too bad, so sad…

Serena awoke the next morning from a troubled sleep, and feeling very aware of how much danger she was in. Lucifer knew who she was, and he and all his reapers were determined to destroy her. This unpleasant feeling was doubled by the intense heartache she felt at hurting Fighter the way she had last night. She had been cruel, and she knew it. But unless she found a way to change the Creator's design (not likely), she would be gone as soon as Chaos and Lucifer were defeated. It was better to just put some distance between herself and the others, especially the one she loved most. It would be less painful, a clean break.

The blonde quietly got out of bed, moved quietly so as not to disturb the rest of the household, got dressed, and slipped out the door. Now that she could remember more of her (incredibly) long existence, she was aware of the numerous powers she possessed, and employed one of them now, which was to become invisible until she wished to be visible again. That was exactly how she wanted it to be for now; she needed to think.

Serena walked around for an exceptionally long time, turning her options over in her head, making sure she had thought about it from every possible angle. 'Why am I torturing myself like this?' she asked herself. 'I've exhausted just about every resource I have, I'm pretty sure I've looked at this situation in every possible way; what can I do?' She knew the answer; nothing. But no matter how she tried to steer her mind away from her dilemma, her thoughts circled right back to it. She was wasting her time, she knew, but her thoughts were rebelling against her.

"Well, Gabriel, I must say, it's been a long time since I saw you last," a man's voice said from off to the side.

Serena whirled in that direction, mind racing. She knew she was still invisible; how could she possibly be seen? She was facing a man who was in his late sixties, and he was smiling kindly at her. His face seemed awfully familiar, and she examined his facial features closely for a few minutes as she tried to identify him. Finally, she remembered, and the knowledge hit her like a lightning bolt hits a tree during a storm. Shock flowed through her veins as realization followed recollection.

"Ezekiel," she finally managed. How long had it been since she'd last seen him? Six hundred years, at least. Before she'd left to keep humanity safe from the reapers, he'd been one of Michael's reading buddies or something; they'd always been having some type of discussion or another. But what was he doing here? And why was he mortal? Yes, Ezekiel had somehow become mortal…did Michael know? Something told her, no, he did not. Somehow, Ezekiel had fallen from grace, and he wasn't being hunted down by the Powers, nor was he anything like a Fallen. He was just…mortal. The concept was so foreign to her that she was silent for a little longer. "You're mortal," she finally blurted.

"Yes, and I will explain that, if you really want to know. But if you please, make yourself visible. People will think I'm talking to myself."

"O-o-of course," the blonde stammered, and reappeared, thankful that no one was really around to notice. "Does Michael know about this?"

"No. You know how he feels about mortals. As far as he knows, I died during a mission in which I was guarding a mortal from a reaper. Guardian angels, you know. You're the one who actually sparked that, when you left."

"How did it happen?"

Ezekiel looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You mean you honestly don't know?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"I have no idea…I didn't know it was possible. I mean, I'm in a mortal form, but I know I'm just earthbound. I haven't actually become truly mortal."

Ezekiel stared at her, and then realization flashed in his eyes. "Of course," he murmured. "How thoughtless of me…you were always so busy training and delivering messages that you never heard that piece of information…and naturally, your brothers would not want you to know…shouldn't be surprised…always were an over-protective pair, even though their sister is the Preliator and able to look after herself…" He turned his attention back to her. "It is forbidden for an angel to be with a mortal, it is true…but the Creator understands Love better than anyone. He knows that no being, divine or not, is immune. The Fallen's affairs were mere flings, not true love. But He knows the difference between true love and mere infatuation, and so He made a loophole, if you will. Even angels have free will; He granted it to all His creations."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"It is possible for an angel to forfeit divine status and become mortal. The Fallen have simply been reduced in power and lost the ability to return home until they earn redemption. But to forfeit your divine status, willingly, of your own will is something that is not punishable, provided it is for the right reasons. Certainly, it is painful, but the pain is more than worth the happiness it can bring."

"Can archangels do that?" Serena asked doubtfully. Every other part of her being was praying that she had perhaps found an answer.

"Of course. Michael could do so if he wished; or Raphael…or you."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Most angels are content with their place, and have no reason to leave. Furthermore, everyone assumed that your brothers would tell you."

Serena felt a surge of anger towards her brothers, but held it back. She could understand their reasons, even if she thought it was petty and vindictive. Remorse stung her at that; she was not being fair to them. They had been trying to protect her; and they most likely had no idea of her feelings. They would never willingly hurt her. A thought occurred to her. "Were you not happy, Ezekiel?"

"Paradise is wonderful, but while I was guarding a young woman from danger, I spent a great deal of time on Earth. I missed Paradise, of course, and longed to return, but the longer I was here, the more I saw of mortals, and I ended up falling in love with my charge. So when my task was done, I chose to give up everything I had known so that I could be with her. I formally introduced myself, and she came to feel the same way. We spent many happy years together." Ezekiel's eyes saddened.

"What happened?" Serena's voice was soft. She was afraid, but also exhilarated. She could be with Seiya when all this was over; if he would still have her.

"She died. It was a heart condition she had."

And now Ezekiel was all alone, Serena thought with a pang. What would she do if she ever lost Seiya? She'd gotten a taste of that when she'd been battling Malos and Lucifer. Could she bear it? She wasn't sure. But surely spending a few years with him, filled with joy and love would be better than losing him for good, watching him grow old and die from afar while she remained fresh as the dawn and truly ageless. And besides, she wouldn't be completely alone.

Ezekiel was watching her closely. "You do realize that should you follow that path, Michael and Raphael will not be pleased," he told her. "And besides, what reason would you have for such a step? Surely you haven't grown that fond of Earth."

"I'm in love, Ezekiel," she murmured. "I love him more than anything, and thinking about losing him hurts; the pain is almost more than I can bear."

Ezekiel looked at her with astonishment. He could hear the deep emotion in her voice; it was so strong that he wondered briefly how she could abide it. Then, he remembered the girl he'd given up everything for. He'd felt that way…once. Gabriel was sincere; he had never known her to be otherwise. "You truly love this man…whoever he is?" he asked.

"Yes," was the answer, and she turned her eyes pleadingly to him. "What must I do?"

Ezekiel told her, and the blonde listened intently, absorbing every word.

"I fear it will bring you great pain eventually, Gabriel, my friend," he told her.

"I can accept that. I would rather spend a century with him in the most agonizing pain imaginable than spend a day in Paradise without him."

"What is his name?"

"Seiya."

Serena bid Ezekiel farewell, and headed for Rae's temple for another meeting. An intense joy was blazing in her veins, but rather than bursting out in its usual manner, it allowed a deep peace to fill her, making her feel better than she had in weeks. When she got there, she sat down and began to process the information. As she did so, she once again recalled the night before, and mentally winced as she realized that she had probably blown her last chance. Taiki and Yaten probably knew what she'd done by now; and she would be in for it. Horror replaced peace as she realized that Seiya probably hated her guts by now. But she held in her rising panic, and tried to keep a cool head. She received weird looks from the Inners as they realized that she was actually on time, and the Outers were just as surprised.

Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten, along with Kakyuu entered, and Serena was unable to bring herself to look at any of them. At the same time, she was also frantically trying to figure out how to resolve the issue. Katherine entered shortly afterwards, and calmly sat down beside Serena, automatically using thought-speak, knowing her friend, practically twin sister, was troubled. The two silently communicated, and Katherine gave Serena's hand a discreet squeeze, reassuring her that things would turn out all right.

"We're on the verge of the apocalypse," Luna began. "And, honestly, we barely defeated Chaos last time, and now we have the Prince of Darkness, also known as Lucifer or Satan to battle as well. We need to choose a course of action quickly, before a war starts. Together, we are quite formidable, but our strength alone might not be enough."

"True enough," Trista commented grimly. "Furthermore, I've detected a disturbing change in the future."

"Like what?" Mina burst out.

"Serena is not consistently present in the future timeline. It seems to be uncertain now, but we cannot afford to take chances."

Katherine coughed slightly, and glanced at Serena, who felt genuinely concerned now. She had made up her mind to stay, but clearly something was wrong. Meanwhile, Seiya also looked at Serena worriedly. He knew he should give it up, but he couldn't bring himself to let her go. Even if it was hopeless. Everyone else was listening intently, with growing fear. "Is there any potential threat?" Amara inquired.

"I keep seeing flashes of an ancient creature known as Abbadōn…I know not what that is."

"The word means 'destroyer'," Katherine murmured uneasily. Serena's face had gone pale, and had a greenish tinge to it.

"Are you sure you have the name right?" Serena inquired steadily. Everyone turned to look at her, and the whole of the group was disconcerted by her sudden pallor.

'My God,' Michelle thought with alarm. 'She looks like she might be sick!'

'She looks like she's going to faint,' Amara thought, and moved closer to the blonde.

Katherine simply looked at her, knowing this could be bad. "Sere, do you know what it is?"

"I-I remember reading about it s-s-s-somewhere." Serena was only half-aware of what was going on around her; she was having a flashback. 'The Abbadōn,' she thought. 'I remember that name. 'Destroyer' is the perfect way to describe it; if Lucifer's woken it up, then…' Serena felt like she was going to be sick. This was bad…

"Are you okay, Serena?" Rae asked. "You don't look so good…"

"Bad clams," Serena squeaked, and bolted. Katherine followed. Seiya almost got up, but forced himself not to. Serena had made herself perfectly clear this time; he was no longer part of the picture.

"Who else thinks that 'bad clams' are just an excuse?" Lita inquired.

"I do," the other Inners chorused, and the Outers and Starlights agreed.

"I think she knows something we don't," Artemis said thoughtfully. "And whatever it is, it has her spooked."

"Katherine said the name meant 'destroyer,' so it can't be good," Mina observed.

"I can't imagine how she would know about it, though," Amy mused.

"You'd be surprised," Seiya murmured. "She knows things no living person could tell you."

"Like what?" Taiki asked.

"Nothing," Seiya replied quickly, and was silent.


	23. Part Twenty Two: The Beginning ofthe End

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty Two: The Beginning of the End**

**AN: **Hmm…what on earth happens next? Better keep writing and maybe these annoying plot bunnies will actually tell me what exactly is going on.

Yaten rolled his eyes skeptically. Seiya was a truly awful liar sometimes. "Really, Seiya? You honestly think we're that stupid?"

"No one in this room is stupid; pigheaded, maybe. Stupid, no. Really, I didn't say anything." Seiya mentally sweat-dropped. What had he gotten himself into? 'I can't tell them about Odango,' he thought. 'That'll just make more trouble, and we have that spilling out of our ears right now. I just need to get them off topic. "So, Serena ate bad clams? That must be horrible. I hope she feels better soon."

Amara's eyebrows shot up further and further up her head with every word that left his mouth, and when he finally managed to stop the suddenly overwhelming urge to babble and never shut up, she spoke up. "If you really think she ate bad clams, then you're a bigger idiot than I thought," the sandy blonde informed him. "And you know that when you act dumb, you get on my nerves real quick. You know something."

Seiya thought for a minute, deliberating. Amara would probably kick his ass if he kept up this stupid ruse, but Serena could be endangered if he spilled the beans. He decided that he'd rather have Amara punch him a few times than put Serena's life in danger. She was already in trouble now, and he would end up just adding to it. "I was just trying to say that she knows some of the strangest bits of info sometimes, that's all," he stated calmly. "Sometimes, it's useful, other times it's random. I'm just having a bout of the foot in the mouth disease. Things just don't come out right."

Both Amara and Yaten stared at him intently for several moments, and Seiya resisted the urge to squirm, remaining stoic. When he looked them calmly in the eyes, unflinching, they gave up. "Something stinks here," Amara declared. "I'll leave it alone for now, but something weird is going on, and one way or another, I'm eventually going to find out what it is."

Serena re-entered, perfectly composed, Katherine at her side. "Sorry about that," the blonde said apologetically. "My stomach's been acting weird all day, doing back flips and stuff, and talking about fights and destruction makes me queasy anyway." 'Especially considering I vaporized a soul-stealer and watched it literally melt right before my eyes,' she thought. 'I can still see his face just bubbling up and dissolving to ash.'

"Bullshit," Rae snapped. "Serena, do us all a favor, and quit hiding whatever it is you know. Just spit it out, and we'll worry about how to handle it later."

Katherine advised, "Sere, I think you should tell them. If what you told me outside is true, it's better to just slap the cards face-up on the table so they know what we're looking at."

"But it will also officially destroy all hope," Serena mumbled.

"When did I become the optimist here?"

Serena mumbled something unintelligible, and when Mina leaned forward so she could hear, she was almost certain that whatever she said was not in English. Katherine understood, and she rolled her eyes.

"Just tell them, Sere. You're over-reacting."

Serena heaved a huge sigh, and finally started speaking. "The name Abbadōn means 'destroyer', as Katherine said. And it is aptly named. It's not a daemon, but it's not a monster, either. It's something kind of in between, but it's not really either. And it's also old. It's been around since prehistoric times, at least, if not since the world was formed. It isn't as powerful as Lucifer, but it is still a huge threat. I guess I should just start by explaining the concept of reapers."

Seiya listened intently. So did everyone else.

Serena continued; "Reapers are basically a certain race of Lucifer's servants. They can be just about anything. There are animalistic reapers, human reapers, hybrids, you name it. But they all have a daemonic nature. And they have the same purpose; to kill humans and drag their souls to Hell. The Abbadōn is almost like a super-reaper; but worse. It does worse than just drag souls to Hell. It utterly destroys them, basically wiping them out of existence. But it doesn't even have to kill you to do what it does. If you fall under its shadow, you're doomed. Therefore, nothing short of divine power can possibly even wound it, let alone actually defeat it." By the end of this explanation, the blonde's tone had become distant and utterly void of emotion.

"Uh…what's the good news?" Mina asked.

"There are actually known beings that can stand against it. Angels. But not just average angels; archangels. But not just any archangel. They'd need one known as the Preliator. And she's died fighting it already. She managed to make it go back to sleep, but she couldn't kill it. The only reason she still exists is because angels don't have souls, and therefore, the Abbadōn couldn't destroy her."

Seiya felt his heart jump up into his throat and grow stone cold. His stomach sank to the floor, and he clasped his hands firmly in his lap in an effort to prevent them from shaking. After all, he knew Serena's secret. Serena was the archangel Gabriel, the very Preliator she mentioned. And she'd already died fighting it once. Could he walk into battle and stomach the fact that he could lose her? He could handle knowing she was gone, but in Paradise. But to see her dead—though it would be temporary—to see her still unmoving form and know that she would never be as he had known her…that would kill him.

"So where's the Preliator?"

"She's close by," Serena answered calmly. "She knows all hell's about to break loose, and she'll be there."

Seiya bit back a sardonic burst of laughter. They had no idea how close their once source of hope was. Yaten felt his rapidly changing emotions and wondered what was going on. The silver-haired boy knew that there were some things that were happening behind the scenes, but he couldn't guess what.

"How did you come by such information, Serena?" Kakyuu inquired.

"I have this cousin that's insanely interested in old stories and all that, and he read that one to me one night as a bedtime story. Gave me nightmares for weeks."

Seiya forced himself not to roll his eyes, and Katherine coughed. Amara looked between the three, and noticed a strange look in Serena's eyes. The expression in them was one of resignation and grim anticipation. Katherine was composed, but the Nephilim clearly knew something no one else did, and Seiya's face was pale, and he was struggling to keep his composure. 'Guy looks like he took a punch to the gut,' the sky soldier thought. 'Those three are hiding something, and it sure as hell isn't anything good.'

"What makes you so sure that this Preliator is real, though?" Amy asked. "I mean, we are basically running on folklore."

"I just know, Amy," Serena answered. "Sometimes, blind faith is necessary in order to have hope, because without hope, battles are lost."

"When did you get so wise?" Trista wondered aloud.

"Life," the blonde Princess answered, "Is the best teacher." She turned her eyes to Seiya, and elaborated. "Sometimes, hope bites you on the finger at the most unexpected times. Even when everything else says it's the end, hope unlooked for will find you, and give you a reason to look to the future. Life taught me that."

Seiya felt a swell of hope. Serena was looking directly at him, speaking of faith and hope for tomorrow. Had she found something at last? The blonde quietly left, and the meeting adjourned. Seiya had just walked out, and he caught sight of Serena, half-veiled in shadow. When he approached, she did not rebuff him, but let him come closer.

"Is there still hope?" he asked.

Serena walked to him, and let him put his arms around her. "Yes," she murmured into his ear. "There is. I've found a way to make it work. Raphael and Michael won't be happy, but you're more important."

Seiya held his angel tightly, breathing in the soft, delicate floral scent of her hair. Roses… but he needed to make sure that she honestly wanted to do this. "Are you absolutely sure you'd prefer me over Paradise," he murmured into her hair. "I don't want to force you…"

"Paradise would be meaningless…you _are_ my Paradise, Seiya."

"But what about the Abbadōn? I don't want to lose you."

"I have a reason to actually fight this time," the blonde murmured. "Because lives that are precious to me are on the line now. Before, I fought out of duty. I fought because the Creator desired it of me, and that was enough in the past. But now, it isn't."

"But what if the worst happens?"

"We'll just have to trust that it won't. And I need you to make a promise to me."

Seiya thought he knew what it was, but he didn't want to say it. "What?"

"Promise me that if I am in danger while fighting the Destroyer, or the Abbadōn, that you will not interfere. I'll come back, but if you end up in its shadow, you'll be completely destroyed. You have a soul; I don't. It can't obliterate me like it could you."

"I don't know if I can make that promise." Seiya found that he couldn't swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

"You have to; and you need to keep it…no matter what." Serena was gentle but firm, and Seiya knew that he would give in, but he struggled inwardly for a few agonizing moments

Finally, he managed to whisper, "I promise." Tears formed behind his eyes, but he held them in. "I promise that I won't interfere if that happens, but if it's anything else, I'll be there." His voice cracked, and his blonde angel held him in her arms.

"I know it's hard; but I can't lose you. If you were to die in an ordinary battle, I'd at least have the consolation that, as a Starlight, you'd be reborn. But if I lost you forever, I couldn't stand that."

"I know," Seiya managed to get out, and then, brokenly; "I love you, Odango."

The blonde's lips touched his softly, and he clung to her for dear life. The Apocalypse was starting, and he didn't know if he would see his Odango leave this battle alive. "What happens to you, if you fall under its shadow?" he asked suddenly. I mean, you have to get near its shadow to fight it, right?"

"I can withstand that, but it has other weapons, too."

"I'm scared, Odango. I wish I knew how this would end."

"So do I. But we just have to have faith. It's the only way we'll get through this."

"I hope you're right." Seiya lowered his head in an effort to hide the tears that were streaming down his face.

Serena held his face in her hands gently. "I won't leave you," she murmured. "Not this time."

Suddenly, a huge surge of dark power rushed through the air, and the force of it threw Seiya to the ground, and he could only gasp for a few minutes, while Serena knelt beside him, gently comforting him while looking as though that surge was causing her pain. She turned him over and rubbed circles on his back.

"What…was…that?" he gasped.

"It's begun," Serena answered. "I thought we'd have more time…but the end's begun, Seiya. The battle for the world…and the universe…has started. The barriers between the dimensions are breaking down."

Seiya staggered to his feet, and transformed into Sailor Star Fighter. Serena became Eternal Sailor Moon. They both saw a ripple in the air, and suddenly, all manner of horrible creatures appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Fighter immediately attacked, and several of the creatures got vaporized. "What are these things?" she asked.

"Reapers!" Sailor Moon shouted back. "Be careful; they're stronger than they look. Don't let them grab you!" The blonde was grappling with a human-looking creature, but it was so hideous there was no way it could actually be human.

Fighter barely managed to dodge a reaper's attack, and was forced to keep an eye on her surroundings at all times.

"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!" Uranus' attack broke through the horde, and Fighter would later state that she'd never been happier to see the sky soldier than in that moment.

"Koneko-chan, get out of here! It's dangerous!" the sky soldier shouted.

"I'm fine!" Sailor Moon replied. She used the Tier to vaporize a few monsters. Then, they all felt multiple stars go out. "Chaos," the blonde muttered. "This just gets better and better…"

Then, a new presence appeared, darker than Chaos', and older. It was familiar to Serena, and as a result, she collapsed, gasping. Uranus and Fighter formed a barrier between her and the oncoming creatures. The blonde clutched her chest as if in pain, recalling the last time she'd felt this presence. That had been the most excruciating death she'd had…the Abbadōn was here. The memory hit her full force, and she could barely see through the remembered pain, and she heard a high, keening sound in the background. Someone was screaming. Then, with horror, she realized that _she _was the one screaming. She pulled herself to her feet, and looked to the sky. On the horizon, she could see it…the Destroyer. Fear nearly choked her, but she pushed it away. She needed to fight. But how? She would have to use her divine powers, and she would reveal herself, possibly drawing Lucifer to her…but she couldn't fight anything as Sailor Moon; Sailor Moon's powers were meant to heal… she ducked as a creature attacked, and Fighter blasted it away from her.

The others arrived then. Kakyuu, Taiki, and Yaten had all transformed, and the rest of the Outers and Inners had arrived. Katherine appeared seconds later, with several Fallen, including Arriane. Together, they fought off the remaining creatures, and moved to head off Chaos. Serena was thinking frantically. She needed to do something quickly. People were dying; she could feel the lives the Abbadōn was taking, and Lucifer was coming; she could sense him.

"All right, girls, let's do this!" Venus shouted. "This battle is going to determine the fate of the universe! Let's give it our best shots, and try not to die!"

Fighter's arm wrapped around Sailor Moon's waist, and the blonde smiled softly. She signaled Katherine, and the Nephilim came. It was time to just toss all her cards out on the table, and damn the consequences. The world would end if she didn't take her angelic form and fight. This was the beginning of the end…and the end would get closer and closer unless she stopped it.


	24. Part Twenty Three: The Battle

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty Three: The Battle**

**Serena: **I'd better not die!

**Starlily11: **Sorry, Sere…at this point, all bets are off.

The reapers were vanquished, but multiple Phage had appeared to take their place, and Serena could see more reapers coming. Chaos was getting closer, as well as Lucifer, and the Abbadōn continued to draw nearer. Sailor Moon bit her lip; she couldn't just abandon her friends, but she also couldn't stand by and let innocent souls be obliterated. She dodged an attack by a Phage, and glanced at the horizon. The destroyed was still coming…it had to be stopped…but she was needed here as well. This situation had her in a quandary.

Katherine noticed this, and shouted, "Sere, just go! I'll take Lucifer, Kakyuu-hime can heal the Phage, the Scouts will keep Chaos busy, and the Fallen will take the reapers!"

Sailor Moon hesitated a moment longer, and Fighter touched her hand. The blonde looked into the dark-haired woman's eyes, asking permission. Fighter, with tears in her eyes, murmured, "Go, Odango…you're the only one who can fight that thing."

The blonde swallowed hard, nodded, and her wings began to lift her off the ground. Fighter clasped her hand, and whispered, "Come back to me."

Sailor Moon sniffed, and nodded once more. Closing her eyes, she called upon her angelic powers, shedding her mortal form. Divine light wrapped around her, and she felt her Senshi uniform melt away. Forgotten knowledge seeped through her veins, and her sword appeared in her hand. The light that burned inside her shone more brightly than it ever had before, and it was so strong that all of the Phage were instantly healed, and the reapers that had come were immediately vaporized as Gabriel awoke. Her divine light grew even stronger, and everyone had to cover their eyes.

The energy that filled the air was the purest and brightest anyone had seen, even more so than Serena's. This raw power could have easily destroyed them all, but instead, it cradled them, only destroying darkness, and strengthening the powers of good. This god-like power was tempered by grace and mercy…and love. Wonder filled them all as they realized that Serena had somehow held this power inside her all along.

"What is this energy?" Kakyuu wondered. "It is nothing like anything I have felt before…"

A Fallen near her whispered; "Gabriel has awakened at last. The Preliator has returned once again."

The light faded, and they all dropped their hands. Fighter and Katherine had both known who Serena actually was, but shock still had a place in their hearts as they saw Gabriel in all her glory and grace. Even Arriane was taken aback. The others, who had not been even remotely prepared for such an occurrence, could only stand stock still in awe and amazement. No one spoke for a moment, and even when Uranus managed to find her voice, she found that she was unable to form a coherent sentence.

"What…? How…? You're…" The sky soldier was rendered nearly speechless.

The being that stood in Serena's place was beautiful beyond description, and seemed both young and fresh as the dawn, but also older than even time could decide. Gabriel was truly ageless. Her eyes were a deep blue, and the light of the sun and moon shone in them, and her grace brought everyone to their knees. Her long, golden hair flowed loose and freely down her back, cascading down to her ankles, blowing softly in an unseen, unfelt wind. White wings spread out on either side of her, holding her aloft. Her sword was in her hand, poised to fight. From every particle of her being, light shone forth. Fighter was left breathless, and she thought; 'This is the one I love…this is Odango…this is who she's been all along…'

"_Gabriel…_"Pluto breathed. "Who knew…but it seems so right…"

And it _did_ seem right. Serena had always been this way…but no one had ever realized it. Seiya had caught a glimpse, but even he hadn't come terribly close to seeing the real Serena. Now that they all saw her, it explained a great deal…how she could forgive and love unconditionally. How she could remain pure and just, even when it seemed there was no room for such sentiments. She could not hate unless there was simply no light in someone. It was not in her nature.

Lucifer and Chaos arrived within minutes of each other, and Katherine immediately went after the Prince of Darkness. In the following battle that ensued, Gabriel took flight, and went to face the Abbadōn. Only Fighter saw her go, and the raven-haired beauty silently prayed that her angel would return safely. 'Please, God…keep her safe,' she prayed earnestly, and worked on buying some time for the world while Gabriel went to what well could be her doom.

**§†§†§†****§†§†§†§**

As soon as the Abbadōn sensed her, as she had known it would, its terrible voice reverberated in Gabriel's mind. The archangel cringed as she heard it.

+Did you not learn your lesson last time, archangel?+

+You are destroying innocent souls…I will not suffer you to continue doing so.+ Gabriel kept her sword in front of her, poised to strike. She had to be on her guard.

+You are no fool, Gabriel. You died the last time you came up against me. Surely you are aware that you cannot win.+

+If that is my fate, so be it. But I will not let mankind suffer because of my cowardice. Besides, you may kill me, but you can never truly defeat me. You can send me back into Death, but you cannot destroy me.+

+True enough…but I can break you. You've grown soft, Gabriel. You have friends that have souls worth taking now.+

Gabriel slashed down on the dark dragon that was her enemy's current shape. The destroyer let out a grunt of pain, and it changed to a different form. Now, it was a midnight blue creature with cloven feet and glowing red eyes, and horns. The same form that had killed her last time. The archangel prepared to fight, her sword at the ready. The creature held its own deadly-looking weapon. It was something that, if pushed into her chest, would rip her heart out. She would have to be very careful. She was in its shadow, but as she lacked a soul, she was unharmed for the moment. Her enemy lunged, and she blocked the blow with her sword.

A blade came sailing in to her right, and she only just managed to avoid being skewered. The blade grazed her arm, but that was all. She slashed down again, and made a deep cut. Her enemy bore down on her, but she continued to fight, not letting herself go completely onto the defensive. That could get her killed. Even so, that choice cost her; she received multiple minor injuries. Fortunately, due to her angelic status, those healed almost instantly. The battle became heated, and the two began a deadly dance of death that would not end until one of them died.

Eventually, the Abbadōn's sword found an opening, and the sword pierced her side. Gabriel blocked the killing blow, but the pain was overwhelming. With horror, she realized that at some point during the battle, her enemy had gotten a sword that, thanks to some dark power, could inflict a wound and make it impossible for her powers to heal it. What an idiotic mistake she'd made, not to notice! It was even worse to realize that this same mistake had cost her her life the last time she'd fought the Abbadōn.

Her enemy sneered down at her. +Did I not warn you?+

+It is not over yet!+ Gabriel used her enemy's arrogance as a weapon. It was so busy gloating that it had let its guard down, and she pressed that advantage. She used angelic fire this time, and the Abbadōn staggered back, recovered, and slashed across her stomach. Both took to the air, and became locked in combat once again. Both were bleeding heavily now, and Gabriel began to feel dizzy from blood loss.

_+Gabriel! Hold on…Michael and I are coming!+_ Raphael's voice sounded in her head, and the Preliator forced herself to stay conscious. But the Abbadōn managed to injure her once again, and her eyes closed. The pain was overwhelming. 'Fighter, forgive me…' she thought. As she sank into darkness, she thought she heard the sound of beating wings.

**§†§†§†§†§†§†§†§**

Meanwhile, the Starlights, Fallen, Katherine, and Sol Senshi were locked in combat with Chaos, Lucifer, and various minions of the respective evil powerhouses. Everyone was getting tired, and Katherine started to wonder if she shouldn't have gone with the blonde Moon Princess/Archangel. Fighter was starting to get panicked; what if her Odango was in trouble? These fears only grew worse when she felt the blonde's light beginning to fade. The destroyer was no longer visible on the horizon, but that was not reassuring. There were so many ways that could be bad, and the dark-haired girl cursed herself for making that promise, for not going with the girl.

Lucifer managed to slash Katherine, and the Nephilim dropped a few feet in pain, and nearly crashed to the ground. Fortunately, she recovered herself, and the fight continued. 'Hurry, Serena,' Katherine thought. 'We can't hold out much longer.'

Suddenly, the Abbadōn screamed, and the air felt lighter. That was one enemy down, and Lucifer and Chaos began to feel desperate. Both hoped that the creature had managed to kill Gabriel before its untimely demise. Otherwise, there could be a serious problem. Several minutes went by, and Gabriel did not reappear. Fighter was terrified, and so was everyone else. Katherine was still locked in battle, but starting to weaken.

'Odango, where are you?' Fighter thought in agony.


	25. Part Twenty Four: Archangels

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty Four: Archangels**

**AN: **Well, here you go…another chapter. I might actually have time to do some more later this week, if I'm lucky. Enjoy.

The searing pain was what called Gabriel back. She jerked back into consciousness, gasping. Where was the Abbadōn? Had it managed to destroy the entire city? How long had she been out? She looked around frantically, and started to get to her feet, but a gentle, restraining hand on her shoulder stopped her. The blonde turned to see who it was. Michael. She tried to recollect her thoughts and recall exactly what had happened before she blacked out. The confusion was almost overwhelming.

"Calm yourself, Gabriel," Michael murmured softly. "The destroyer is defeated. I apologize for the pain, but we had to heal you, or you would have died."

"But Lucifer and Chaos are still alive and kicking," Gabriel protested. "I have to go…"

"And you shall, but not yet. You need to wait for your wounds to heal," Raphael informed her calmly. "The destroyer nearly killed you."

"Is it still…?"

"No. We defeated it. For good."

"How did you know…?"

"We have always tried to keep you safe when we could, but we were not able to intervene unless something utterly threatened the balance," Michael stated sadly. "It was your mission, and it was necessary for you to fight alone."

"But now that the Apocalypse has started, the rules have changed," Gabriel observed.

"Correct."

"Well, we need to go." Gabriel, choosing to be oblivious to her brothers' gentle attempts to restrain her, leapt to her feet. "My friends are in danger."

"They are humans," Michael said dismissively. "There will always be casualties by the thousands among their numbers in a war such as this."

"You act like that's not a big deal!"

"Humans die every day, sister," Raphael informed her. "It is a fact of life."

"But in this case, it's unnecessary," Gabriel insisted. "I know you're both angry about the fact that I had to go fight and protect humankind, but you act as though it is completely their fault. Lucifer had something to do with it, too. He would have created mischief one way or another."

"All they had to do was follow the Creator's instructions. They would have been safe."

"The Creator gave us all free will; Lucifer chose to revolt, and he Fell. Mankind chose to eat the forbidden fruit, and they were banished from Eden. Lucifer would have attacked even if Eve had not eaten the fruit. The problem simply escalated; we all know that."

"If those monkeys had not disobeyed the Creator in the first place, the situation would not have become so dire that we lost our sister!"

"You didn't lose me; that implies that I was gone forever. You're blaming mankind for the choices _I _made! The Creator did not force anyone to go fight; I _chose_ to go."

"Because you felt obligated," Michael stated calmly.

"Because I believe in peace and love for the universe. Obligation had nothing to do with it."

"Do you mean to tell us that you have come to actually care for mankind? That you have begun to see them as more than a mission? If that is true, then there is a problem."

"Michael speaks the truth, Gabriel. This could pose a problem."

"Can we stop arguing about this? My friends are in danger. The person I love is in danger—." Gabriel stopped, and Michael and Raphael stared at her with no small amount of horror.

"You _love_ a _human_?" Raphael was shocked.

"Yes. And I'm not going to lose them. So you can either get out of my way or I'll run right over you."

Raphael exchanged a stricken look with Michael. "Sister, there are laws against that. You'd lose them in the end."

"You see, that is where I see a breach of trust, brothers. We all know that there is a way to give up one's angelic status without breaking those laws. I don't believe you told me that; nor did you mean to do so, I daresay." Gabriel pushed her way past her stunned brothers, and took flight. 'Please, let them be safe,' she prayed as she flew towards where she had left Fighter and the others. 'I hope it's not too late.'

**Ѣ****§†****Ѣ****§†****Ѣ****§†****Ѣ****§†****Ѣ**

Katherine was exhausted; she had never tried to fight her sire for this long before. And it was taking a toll on her. She prayed that Serena/Gabriel would return. The Scouts were getting tired, too. They'd been baiting Chaos and trying to buy some time until Gabriel returned to finish this. But it was beginning to look like the Abbadōn had managed to take the blonde down with it. The Nephilim winced as Fighter took another hit. The dark-haired Starlight was clearly not far from collapse. Katherine blocked another blow from Lucifer, and nearly crashed to the ground. She was still recovering when Lucifer came slashing down.

Katherine closed her eyes, convinced that she was done for. But the blade of her sire's sword never touched her. She opened her eyes, and felt a surge of relief. Gabriel was now between her and Lucifer, sword raised and blocking what could have been a killing blow. The archangel's power spilled over them all, and renewed their strength, while also doing damage to both enemies. Soon, the archangel and the Prince of Darkness were locked in furious combat. They circled each other in a slow, deadly dance of death, and it was nerve-wracking for the people on both sides to watch. Even Chaos had stopped fighting below to watch what was going on in the sky.

'Please let her get through this,' Fighter prayed. 'Let her win, and finish this.' Gabriel was in full Preliator mode now; she moved with an unnerving speed, and even though it seemed like it would be difficult to fly and fight at the same time, moving through the air required no effort from her, by all appearances. Steel met steel, and the sound of two blades clashing against each other was the only thing that could be heard in the sudden silence. Neither Gabriel nor Lucifer was willing to give the other even a tenth of an inch.

Finally, Lucifer broke the silence by hissing; "Neither of us can keep this up forever, Gabriel. One of us will die eventually."

"Indeed, but it shall not be me."

"Are you still so arrogant?"

"Do you still have that scar from our little skirmish when you started your foolish uprising?"

"I shall look forward to killing you."

"You are welcome to try."

"Should not your brothers have joined us by now?"

"They know I can handle myself." Gabriel bore down, and Lucifer barely managed to avoid losing a hand.

"Oh, really? Then why do they hate humans so much, if their sister can look after herself? After all, you have managed to get yourself killed a fair amount of times."

"Such is life," was the casual response. "That was my own choice, and it is hardly humanity's fault that I let my guard down."

"I wonder what they would say if they knew that their sister is in love with one of the very beings that killed their sister," Lucifer mused, and Gabriel almost lost focus. "Did I strike a nerve?"

"Not at all." Lucifer found himself immediately a victim to a deep, festering wound caused by angelic fire. Gabriel continued to press her advantage, and Lucifer lost more and more ground. Chaos watched this with concern, deliberating whether she should help him, and possibly turn the tables. But how could she defeat an archangel? Fighter watched with a sense of relief. It looked like Lucifer was just about done, and her Odango was still in one piece.

It was then that Chaos chose to act. Gabriel barely managed to get out of the way of the blast, and Lucifer's blade grazed her side. That was when all Hell broke loose…literally and figuratively. Daemons burst through dimensional barriers, and Fighter was suddenly clawing her way through hoards of dangerous monsters in an effort to get to her Odango's side. Gabriel was now fighting both opponents at once, and Katherine was kept occupied on the ground by daemons and reapers. Everyone else was caught in some form of combat or another, and soon, even Fighter became locked in a fight for her life, and Gabriel stood alone.

"Rest assured," Chaos sneered. "We'll find a place for your friends and love in the new world we will create. That is…if they survive the destruction of the old one."

Gabriel lashed out, and received two injuries for her pains. Blood spilled down her legs, ran down her face from a cut on her cheek. Lucifer moved in for the killing blow, but another sword blocked his. A strong arm supported her. Suddenly, Michael formed a protective wall between the enemy and his sister. Raphael began to heal her wounds once again. Gabriel grimaced in pain, but was grateful for the help. "You may not make any sense, sometimes, sister, but we would never leave you like this," he murmured into her ear.

"Thank goodness…but I still stand by what I said earlier."

"We'll discuss that later…right now, we have other problems."

"Right." Gabriel let the last lingering scratch fade away, and then she and Raphael joined their brother. The three converged on Lucifer and Chaos; their combined divine powers overwhelming. Their light washed over everything, and the sheer force of it would have killed someone, had it not been tempered by grace. Phage were healed, daemons and reapers sent back to where they'd come from, and Lucifer was sealed back into Hell. Chaos was sealed into her old prison, this time by holy light. They all felt it when the last traces of evil melted away.

'She did it,' Uranus thought. 'Thank goodness; maybe now we can all breathe a little.'

The light faded, and Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael floated aloft, wings spread wide. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever seen. All three faced each other, and held each other's eyes for several moments. Finally, Michael spoke, his blue eyes concerned. "Gabriel, we still need to have a discussion." Raphael nodded, green eyes clouded with a certain worry. Gabriel folded her arms across her chest.

"I have already made my decision. I know what I want."

"What are they talking about?" Healer whispered to Fighter.

Fighter knew perfectly well what was going on. She knew that Michael and Raphael wanted their sister to return to Paradise. She knew that Serena…Gabriel…her Odango, had an intention to stay, to give up her angelic status. But what if her brothers convinced her to abandon that? No…she wouldn't do that…Fighter tried to reassure herself. Then, she remembered that Healer had asked her a question. "They want her to come back to Paradise," Fighter replied quietly. "Permanently."

"What? She can't!" Healer was distressed, and Fighter knew it was for her sake.

"We've already discussed it. She knows she can do what she wants, and she told me her decision."

The silver-haired girl watched her friend closely. "What did she choose?"

"She chose me."

Healer breathed a sigh of relief. "So why are they discussing it?"

"Michael and Raphael have something against humans; some sort of grudge. She needs to get them to at least accept her choice."

"What if they don't?"

"It'll work out," the raven-haired girl insisted.

Gabriel's voice sounded, "I made my choice; nothing you say can change it."

"Gabriel, be reasonable," Raphael pleaded.

"Should we not take this to a more private arena?" Michael inquired. "It is horribly rude to have a private conversation in front of other people."

"Yeah, Raphael. Listen to our brother." Gabriel turned to the others. "Excuse us for a minute, please. We have some family issues to resolve."

The three moved higher up, and with a flash of light from their wings, disappeared.

"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?" Uranus burst out.

"Umm…maybe I should explain," Fighter mumbled.


	26. Part Twenty Five: Falling

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty Five: Falling**

**AN: **I think this story is finally starting to wind down…I'm pretty sure this is the second to last chapter before the epilogue, unless the plot bunnies think of anything else to add. Even then, I might ignore them. I've already written some of a possible new story in my head. Any-hoo, let's see what happens, shall we? Thank you, my wonderful readers, for sticking with me. I'm pretty sure you want to smack me sometimes.

Gabriel and her brothers convened on a mountaintop somewhere in Tibet. It was cold, but all three were kept warm by their heavenly light. The Preliator faced her brothers, trying to be reasonable, but failing. What right did they have to make her do anything she did not want to? She forced herself to remain composed, and unfolded her arms, forcing them to stay down at her sides. 'Peace, tranquility, and reason,' she thought desperately. 'Surely we can come to some sort of understanding.' Michael and Raphael stood across from her, looking at her with a deep sadness.

"Gabriel, sister…think carefully. I do not know how you learned of your ability to fall voluntarily, but try to listen to me. Do you have any idea what kind of pain you would face if you were to go through with it? Are you absolutely sure that you want this? What if he changes his mind?" Michael's voice was gentle, and pleading. "Please don't fight us on this; neither Raphael nor I have any desire to quarrel with you."

Gabriel closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain she was seeing in her brothers' eyes. She knew she was hurting them with her choice, but she felt as though she were being torn in two. "Michael, I can't really expect you to understand, but I know that the one I love would never leave me. I know that my choice might bring me pain, but I also know that the happiness I will find is more than worth it. I wish I could explain it, but you have to feel it to understand. It hurts, but it also makes you complete, whole, in a way that makes the pain insignificant. Love on Earth is hard, but it's beautiful at the same time. Don't ask me to choose; it's tearing me apart." Tears filled her eyes, and she pressed both of her hands to her heart in an effort to ease the pain that burned there.

Raphael looked his sister directly in the eyes, and for a moment, he almost understood the depth of her feelings. But it was so foreign to him. Even so, he could not bring himself to argue with her. "Do you truly love him so much?" he asked softly of her. "Are you truly sure that you are loved by him the same way?" Michael stared at him like he had gone mad. Raphael ignored him, focusing on Gabriel.

"Yes, on both counts," Gabriel murmured.

"What if he should die? What then? The pain you would suffer…"

"At least I would have had times with him to remember. Isn't it better to lose someone and remember the times you had than to lose them and have no memories to console you? You and Michael of all people should understand that." Gabriel took her brothers' hands. "Please…let me go. Try to leave the past behind. Mankind will still need archangels; especially when the prophecies in Revelation come true. Do not let my choices poison you against them. They really aren't that bad."

Michael sighed. "I will try, sister. For your sake. But it will be hard."

"I understand," Gabriel replied softly. "It is never easy to let go of someone you love."

"Very well. I…I hope that he loves you as much as you deserve. He's getting more than he's worthy of."

Gabriel smiled faintly, and embraced him. "He gives me more than I am worthy of," she replied softly.

Raphael snorted, and Gabriel turned to him. He pulled her into a tight hug, and whispered, "We'll be looking out for you, and if I find that he has not been treating you the way he should, I will kill him in the most painful way I can devise."

"I'm sure you will," the Preliator agreed. "But I doubt that will ever be necessary."

"Before you go," Michael began. "You need to know that as you…" he had trouble saying it, "Fall, you will be able to do one last thing, of your choice, with your power. Make your choice wisely."

Gabriel nodded, and took flight again, this time without her brothers. Raphael and Michael returned to Paradise, looking down sadly at the earth below. Gabriel found a high place to fall from. Ezekiel had informed her that a symbolic act of falling was necessary. It worked better if you did so from a great height. The Preliator took a deep breath, and said a prayer to the Creator. As she did so, she took a step forward, to the edge of where she stood. She released her power, and made her wish. Closing her eyes, she took one more step, and let herself fall.

As both Ezekiel and Michael had warned her, the pain was great. First, she fell through fire, and then ice. All divine power was stripped from her being. Her light spilled out, washing over the globe and then disappearing. All across the world, a brief Aurora Borealis could be seen in the sky for a short time. Then, it was gone. Fallen leapt to their feet as they felt the presence of Gabriel, the Preliator, the third archangel, finally fade out. Arriane smiled faintly, knowing that Serena had finally made her choice. Katherine cracked a faint grin as well, and though triumphantly, "She'll be back.'

The fall seemed to take an eternity. Serena felt almost numb from the shock, but also a deep sense of relief. Blue fire swirled behind her closed eyelids, and a sort of peace stole over her, then replaced by a sudden terror. The terror became serenity once again, and she saw stars shoot across the sky behind her closed eyelids. An icy cold flooded her veins, and was quickly replaced by fire. Soon, no coherent thought was possible for her, and as shadows claimed her, the last thing she heard in her haze was Seiya's voice, singing a lullaby he'd made up only for her.

Serena hit the ground, and she remembered nothing. At the same time, her star blazed brightly, and Fighter sank to her knees, feeling the force of her angel's fall. "I have to find her," the raven-haired girl murmured, and took off, not even sure where she was going. All she knew was that she had to find her Odango.

**AN: **Just so you know, the falling thing came from the movie 'City of Angels.'


	27. Part Twenty Six: A New Day

**The Lost Princess**

**Part Twenty Six: A New Day**

**AN: **Whoa…I'm actually nearly done…well, I'll just have to suss out which plot bunny I should use for the next story once I'm done with this one.

It was so dark…Serena shivered slightly. The blonde was extremely disoriented; where on earth was she? Memories danced elusively about her, but every time she tried to focus and grasp one of them, they sprang up and out of her reach. She felt a sort of numb soreness, as self-contradictory as that sounded, but there really was no other way to describe it. Her whole body felt numb, but at the same time, a strange, dull ache raced through her bones, reverberating and echoing all across her nerve endings. This, combined with a terrible sense of weakness, kept her from opening her eyes and dragging herself to her feet.

"Seiya…" she murmured, not really understanding why she spoke that name. Her thoughts were an incoherent blur, all of them wanting to be heard, but in her exhausted, almost feverish state, she could make no sense out of any of the images and words that circled her mind. But the one word that could truly be heard and registered by her was that name. And, for a brief moment, the light and warmth that that name held stopped the ache in her bones, and something like strength flashed inside her. However, that feeling was but fleeting, and soon, she was in darkness and numb pain again.

The darkness was oppressive, and fatigue overcame her. The blonde closed her eyes, and began to let sleep creep over her. She could not bring herself to wonder if she would ever awaken. The blackness swirled around her, and her thoughts ceased. No dreams came, but even as she lost consciousness, her lips moved, forming the name; "Seiya…" was the soft whisper. "Seiya…"

**ж****Ω****Ѣж****Ω****Ѣж****Ω****Ѣж****Ω****Ѣж**

Fighter ran like the wind, her heart her only guide. The only thing she knew was that she had to find her Odango. She just sensed that if she didn't find her angel soon, she would lose her. Every particle of her being was searching for that bright light, and if the others were behind her, she knew nothing about it. The dark haired woman paused briefly, midnight blue eyes searching for her light. She found it, and was off like a shot once more. Her heart pounded in her chest, seeming to beat out the name of the one she searched for so desperately.

_Odango…Odango…Odango…_her heart seemed to say in rapid succession. Soon, the pounding of her heart was all that she could hear, the light of her angel all she could see. At some point, she de-transformed and became Seiya once more, but his heart still had the same beat. He was getting closer; he could feel it. But would he find her in time? 'Hold on, please…' he thought in anguish. 'Odango, hold on…I'm coming…'

**Ω†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†Ω**

After what seemed like an eternity, Seiya found his angel. Her hair had come undone, and flowed around her, an incandescent aureole of light. He knelt down beside her, and lifted her into his arms. In the silence of the time just before dawn, he could hear her softly whispering his name. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to her forehead, and held her to him. She was so cold…but still alive, thank goodness. The blonde stirred slightly, and her eyelids fluttered. "Seiya…" she murmured.

"Yes, Odango…I'm here," he told her gently.

Serena felt warm, strong arms lift her, and at first, she thought she had died. She remembered all of those times that, in her last moments, she had felt one Angel of Death or another lifting her from her broken physical form. But when those arms simply held her, she knew that something was different. And when she felt the warmth of a shooting star, she knew that she was safe, but still was afraid to hope. "Seiya…" she whispered faintly.

When his voice replied, so lovingly and gently, she knew that she had made it through safely. After a few moments, she dared to open her eyes, and Seiya's much-loved face hovered above hers. His midnight blue eyes held a deep relief, and looked upon her with such tender, loving, gentleness that Serena realized that she had probably greatly worried him. The blonde rested her cheek on his chest, still looking into his eyes. They were so beautiful…

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. Just tired."

"Are you sure? Don't try to downplay it."

Serena frowned briefly into Seiya's chest. He shouldn't be worrying about her so much…after all, he'd been in more danger than she had…and she told him so.

"Excuse me? I was hardly in more danger…I wasn't the one fighting something that could have crushed my soul and utterly destroyed me, nor did I openly challenge two archangels that had a grudge against humanity. Odango, telling me not to worry is like telling water not to be wet. Now, please, be honest with me. Are you all right?"

"Well…" Serena began hesitantly. "Considering I threw myself off of an abandoned skyscraper after being sliced by swords that were blazing with dark power, and before that, almost got my butt kicked because I'm so overconfident, I'm all right. But I feel kind of numb /sore as shit, and until you showed up, I wasn't willing to move an inch, and I feel like I've been running some ridiculously long marathon, because my legs feel like over-cooked noodles."

"Wait…you _what_?"

"It was a symbolic thing; believe me, I wasn't doing it for kicks. Frankly, I'm surprised I didn't break something. But it was part of what I had to do to give up all of that annoying angel stuff."

"You're lucky you aren't dead," Seiya informed her seriously. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

"I don't know what _I _would do if anything happened to _you_," the blonde said softly.

"I'll never leave you."

"Is that a promise?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course."

"How did Uranus take the 'Gabriel' thing?"

"She freaked out and asked, I quote here; "What the flying fuck is going on here?" Naturally, this was shouted at the top of her lungs, and nearly broke my ear drums."

"Aww…poor Seiya…"

"You can kiss it and make it better," Seiya said with a smile.

"Just tell me where it hurts."

Seiya's lips met hers, and from Paradise, Raphael and Michael both groaned.

The moon and her shooting star remained in a loving embrace for a moment, and turned their eyes to the rising sun.

"It's a new day," Serena observed sweetly.

"Indeed it is," Seiya agreed.

"I guess I'd better get up so we can make our way back and explain everything to the others, huh?"

Seiya laughed, and picked her up, getting to his feet. "Oh, I don't think you need to walk just yet, Odango," he informed her lovingly, and kissed the top of her head. Holding her bridal style, he announced, "I think you're still too fragile."

"You know, I think you're right."


	28. Epilogue: Forgiven

**The Lost Princess**

**Epilogue: Forgiven**

"And that's what was happening behind the scenes during this latest mess," Serena finished. "So does that clear things up?"

"Yeah," Amara answered faintly. She was still reeling from all of the information that she'd had to process. Michelle, Trista, and pretty much everyone else except Seiya and Katherine were in the same state. The sky soldier felt a little faint…especially when she realized that until just recently, that her sweet, innocent little kitten had been a being of power and light that had been around since before the world was formed. When she thought about the way everything could have ended, she had to suppress a little shudder. Even though it was new information to her, and the crisis was averted, thinking about the idea of Serena being gone for good, even though she would have been in Paradise, caused a pang.

"So Michael and Raphael pulled their heads out of their bloody arses and realized it was your choice?" Katherine asked. "That's good! I thought I might have to knock some heads together."

"I just told them how I felt and let myself get a little teary. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"I hope you never get mind-control powers; if you add your 'Look' to that sort of thing, it's like handing Lucifer five nuclear bombs and the key to Paradise."

"If I ever got those powers, I'd probably try to figure out how to get rid of them," Serena replied calmly. "I'm happy the way I am."

"So are there any other bombs you'd like to drop on us before we go on with our lives?" Rae asked.

"Nah, no more insane secrets…as far as I know. Unless Chaos has a kid or Lucifer somehow manages to break out, which is not likely, I think the trouble's pretty much over."

"So what did you use your last spark of power to do while you were jumping off a skyscraper?" Katherine inquired.

Serena hesitated slightly; as thinking about what she'd reversed brought her pain, even though, hopefully, she'd ended that. Even so, she knew that it wouldn't hurt her in the eyes of anyone in the room. Besides, she'd said no more secrets. So she answered after a moment; "I righted a wrong done long ago. I healed Adel."

"As in fixed the damage Malos did?" Katherine asked.

"It was my fault she ended up like that in the first place."

Yaten reached over from behind Seiya and whacked the blonde lightly upside the head. Seiya shot him a dirty look, but the silver-haired boy ignored him. At the same time, Katherine snickered.

"How many times does anyone have to tell you that that wasn't your fault?" Yaten asked her.

"You're wasting your breath, my friend," Katherine remarked from off to the side. "I swear, sometimes I think that someone here could get a splinter and Sere here would find a way to make it her fault."

"I would not! Well, maybe…" Serena flushed slightly. "I just couldn't leave her like that. I want her to be able to really live her life."  
>"All right, let's quit picking on poor Serena," Mina piped up. "She tries to be fair to everyone and she's too forgiving for her own good; there're worse character quirks she could have."<p>

"You forgot being too soft-hearted for her own good," Amara remarked.

"I love her the way she is," Seiya informed Amara, wrapping his arms around Serena. "The last thing we need is two of you, Amara."

"I wasn't saying we needed two of me," Amara growled.

Giving Serena a peck on the cheek and then releasing her, Seiya grinned wickedly. "Good," he replied saucily. "Because then, I'd need to dig up blackmail for the other one." He waved an envelope in the air. "I never figured you for a romantic comedy fan."

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE-." And the rest is history.

**Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ****†§****Ѣ**

Serena quietly slipped into her house, and tiptoed past her aunt Lisa and her mother, who were speaking in the kitchen. She crept past Sammy and disappeared into her room. She had just settled down on her bed when there came a soft knock. "Dove, may I come in?" Adel asked. Serena closed her eyes briefly, steeling herself for reproach, and answered, "Yes. Come in." The door opened, and Serena could see her cousin for who she really was. Adel was her strong, confident cousin once again, rather than a prisoner of her own mind. 'She would never have been a prisoner if not for you,' a voice in Serena's mind whispered. The blonde looked her cousin in the eyes, preparing herself for the reproach and coldness she felt she deserved.

"Thank you."

Serena looked up in surprise, and then looked around the room, trying to find out if someone else was in the room.

"Don't be a bloody idiot, Dove. I'm talking to you. You saved me; you freed me from the last of Malos' grasp."

"It's my fault you even ended up like that in the first place," Serena whispered, her eyes lowered.

Adel reached over, and Serena half-expected to get smacked, but instead, Adel gently lifted the blonde's face upwards. "Dove, look at me." Her voice was soft, gentle.

Serena obeyed, meeting cerulean colored eyes much like her own.

"It was never your fault. You got scared; you were only eight. Malos still would have gotten one or both of us at one point. Stop blaming yourself. How many times do you have to be told that?"

"But-."

Adel pressed a finger to the blonde's lips. "Don't. You are by far too unselfish for your own good sometimes. You forgive everyone freely, whether they deserve it or not; but you blame yourself for things that are beyond your control. Besides, you saved me. You freed me then, and you have freed me now. The first time, you pushed the daemon out of me. This time, you pulled me from his grasp. And you have brought peace. I always knew that you would; why else would I call you Dove?"

"Do you forgive me?"

Adel sighed mentally. "There's nothing to forgive," the older girl said softly. "But since you ask me to forgive you for something; I forgive you for being incapable of blaming other people for their sins."

Serena giggled, and Adel pulled her younger cousin into a hug.

**The End**

**AN: **All right…so this story's done. But before anyone starts wailing and begging for more, I'll say this; I have a few plot bunnies scampering around that will make a few good stories. The thing is; I don't know which one to choose. So I turn to you, my readers. I will give you what ideas I have, and you can cast your vote via review. I'll count how much of each idea, and pick the most popular one.

First Idea: Mess with a bit of the 'Time Traveler's Wife' concept, except Sailor Moon style. Serena starts disappearing for weeks on end, and no one has a clue what's going on…until an unexpected visitor shows up in Seiya's room on Kinmoku.

Second Idea: I'm starting to wonder what would happen if the monster from Stephen King's IT ever happened to enter Sailor-verse. I can tamper with that plot line, and see if Serena makes it out with her sanity intact,

Third Idea: Serena's mom is dead, and Ken Tsukino gets a new girlfriend; Sammy and Serena don't like her. Chaos ensues.

Fourth Idea: Princess Kakyuu gets kidnapped, Serena's mom is dying of cancer, and Serena is totally out of control. The Starlights need some help, but they need to help the Sailor Scouts get Serena back to her mellow, sweet self first.

So just review and tell me what idea you want me to do. And do not post more than one review vote. I will not count it. Remember, guys; majority rules here.


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